And Here's to You, Mr Vakarian
by KiwiSamus
Summary: Random idea that wouldn't leave. Set in the year 2211, based on the destroy ending. A turian meets an intriguing human who could be the woman of his dreams but how will people react? Cue the drama, awkwardness and romance! Quick disclaimer: Sadly any recognizable characters, places, ships or things are not mine. I'm just having fun playing with other peoples stuff without asking.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Taking a sip from his drink he leaned back and surveyed the small area that was the local watering hole. An asari was trying to evade the advances of a very interested turian, a couple of krogan were heatedly discussing the finer points of shot gun mods and a rowdy group of Alliance Marines were enjoying the flexibility of an asari dancer.

He finished the drink and stood, ready to leave, when a lone human female sitting at the bar caught his eye. Ebony hair fell in waves down her back and the tight, faded jeans she wore exhibited her muscular legs perfectly. The man looked to his left and glared at his security detail that was currently standing over by the exit, waiting for him to leave. The three gruff looking turians understood and walked over to a shadowy booth in the corner. Looking back towards the striking woman, he was mesmerized. A delicate hand pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and she turned, looking straight at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds until he decided to go over and introduce himself instead of ogling at her from a distance.  
As he approached she smiled, "I was wondering if you were going to come over and say hi or just keep staring at me...I'm Edith, Edi for short."  
"That's an interesting name," his eyes fluttered shut as an image of a sleek, metallic body flashed before his mind's eye.  
"Yeah, named after a family friend...and you are?"  
Distant, ice blue eyes stared at her for a moment before he came back to himself, "Oh, sorry. You can call me Rus." The dark haired, young woman held out her hand and he shook it.  
"Nice to meet you, Rus." Edi dropped his hand and offered him a seat, Rus nodded to the bartender, ordering them both another drink.  
"I haven't seen you here before, new to the area?" Questioning green eyes held his gaze and for a moment he was reminded of another person from his past, "Ah, no. I'm just here on business" Rus' voice was low and rumbled through Edi, causing her to shiver involuntarily. "Oh, what do you do?"  
"Umm, I work for the council...what about you?" He replied quickly, trying to divert her curiosity.  
"I'm an instructor at Grissom Academy," Holding up her hand, preventing him from commenting, she continued, "And before you ask, no, I am not a biotic. I teach the tech students." Rus flared his mandibles in the turian version of a smile.  
"Ah, we have something in common then, I'm a bit of a techie myself. In fact I just made a revision of an overload program I designed...do you want to hear about it?" As she nodded her head for him to continue she took the time to really look at him. His plates were a mottled grey and he had quite a bit of scarring on the right side of his face. Deep blue colony markings that had cracked and faded over time, adorned his cheeks and nose. Edi wasn't sure if he was attractive by turian standards but she definitely thought he was handsome. She was roused from her musings by his rich, velvety chuckle, "I think I lost you there, I suppose you don't really want to be talking shop when your off duty."  
Wildly shaking her head she spoke, "Oh, no. I'm sorry, I was listening, I promise! It's just I was intrigued by your scars."  
Rus' mandibles fluttered nervously and he looked down at his feet, "I suppose they are a bit intimidating, I've had them for so long that I don't really think about them..." Edi noticed his discomfort and quickly back pedaled, "No, no, no. They're not intimidating, I think they add to your dashing good looks" blushing a little from her confession she continued, "I was just interested in the story behind them. Quite a few people I know have a multitude of scars and each one tells a story, they are like a road map showing where you have been...now you most probably think I am weird for liking scars." Chuckling nervously, Edi took a long swig from the glass in front of her.  
Rus visibly relaxed and took a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking, "It would be over 25 years ago now. I was in a bind on Omega, you see, I managed to piss off several merc groups and they decided to team up and take me out. Luckily a friend of mine bailed me out but not before I had a fight with a rocket and lost."  
Edi's eyes widened, "You got several merc groups to work together, plus took a rocket to the face. Then you managed to get out of Omega alive? That takes talent."  
Rus laughed softly and nodded, "I'm hard to kill."

Edi was silent for a moment, trying to formulate a way to ask her question without coming off as being rude, "You said that happened over 25 years ago...if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Rus knew that it was a fair question but he hoped that his answer didn't put her off, there was something about her that piqued his interest and he was looking forward to getting to know her better. He looked at her intently for a moment, ice blue eyes making her shift in her seat uncomfortably, "You don't have to answer, I didn't mean to be rude."  
He blinked and took a sip from his drink, clearing his throat before answering, "I'm 54." She looked at him, dusky pink lips drawn into a tight line and dark eyebrows furrowed, "Have I run you off now?"  
Edi shook her head, "No, it's just you don't look like you're 54, granted I don't think turians age quite like humans do." Reaching out toward his face, her index finger slowly traced his scarred mandible. Realizing what her traitorous hand was doing, she quickly pulled it back and blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."  
Rus interrupted her by grasping her delicate hand and squeezed gently, "Don't apologize." They stared into each others eyes and she nodded. Rus released his hold and sighed, "Okay, seeing as you asked me, I think it is only fair that you tell me your age as well"  
Edi produced a crooked grin, "I'm 23."  
Rus shook his head and chugged the rest of his drink, "Spirits, I'm a dirty, old turian."  
She glanced at him and raised an eyebrow, "The age difference doesn't bother you, does it? I mean, I don't have a problem with you being older and I wouldn't want something as insignificant as age stop us from enjoying each others company."  
Looking at the human behind the bar he ordered another round then turned to face her, "No, I suppose you're right."  
"Okay, glad we have that settled...So, do you have any family?" she asked sipping on the blue concoction the bartender just placed in front of her.  
He nodded, "I have a father and sister who both live on Palaven. My sister, Solana, is married and has two children. The older one is about to join the military, she's 15."  
Edi looked thoughtful for a moment, "So, no children of your own?"  
Rus shook his head and rubbed his brow plate, "No. I was married for 10 years but she was a different species and neither of us really had the time for a child...hell, we didn't really have time for each other. It didn't work out." He stared at his red colored beverage for a moment then looked at Edi, "What about you?"  
"My grandmother lives on Earth, she basically raised me." With that nonchalant statement Rus raised his brow plates, Edi just shrugged her slim shoulders and explained, "My parents spent most of their time off world because of work, it's been that way since I was born. They weren't planning to ever have a child, I was kind of an accident. Granny couldn't have been happier though, she took over the parental responsibilities so neither of them had to sacrifice their careers. It worked out for all parties involved, I had a happy childhood for the most part, my parents would visit as often as they could and when their ship had shore leave they'd have big crew parties, so I got to know a few of them really well, kind of like having an extended family." She had a wistful smile on her face that turned to a scowl, "Then my father died four years ago and things turned to shit. Mother and I don't get along very well, Dad was the peacekeeper."  
Rus was uncertain how to respond and sat awkwardly looking at bottles on the wall behind the bar, "I see."  
Chuckling, Edi grabbed his arm and squeezed, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."  
The turian shook his head and flared a mandible, mimicking a smirk, "I'm not uncomfortable, maybe a little unsure how to respond but not uncomfortable. Have you seen your mother lately?"  
"I try and avoid her but she has decided we should attempt to mend our relationship so, we are having a week long vacation together to visit Granny. I'm looking forward to seeing Granny but not so sure about Mother and I spending a week together. We leave in four days, after Mother has finished her lecture on the "Fundamentals of Biotics Use in the Field" at Grissom, she's a guest lecturer," She looked abashed and started to fiddle with the drink coaster, "Sorry, I'm sure talking about my mommy-issues is not what you had in mind when you walked over here." Silence ensued until she sighed and continued, "So, about that overload program you mentioned earlier..." Rus laughed, "Very smooth change of subject there." Edi rolled her eyes as he started to describe his most recent tweaks to his overload program.

An hour passed and they were still engrossed in conversation, talking about everything and nothing. Rus' omnitool beeped, he checked his messages and cursed. "I just got called to a meeting."  
She looked at him, confused, "At this time of night?"  
Rus just nodded, looking a little annoyed, "With my job I'm on call 24/7."  
Edi shrugged and placed a hand on his thigh, "I understand. How long are you on Elysium?"  
"If I don't get called back I'm here for another two solar days."  
She nodded and brought her omnitool up and linked it to his, "Here's my contact info. We should meet up again before you leave."  
His mandibles flared into a smile, "Yeah, definitely." They both stood and headed toward the exit, as the doors swished open she turned to face him and rose up on her tip toes. Edi pressed her lips against his mouth plates in imitation of a human kiss. They separated and she smiled, "I'm looking forward to it." Edi strolled down the path and Rus watched as her hips swayed from side to side. He felt his lower plates start to shift and groaned, "Definitely a dirty, old turian" he mumbled to himself. Looking over his shoulder he motioned for his security team to follow, "Come on guys, supposedly the galaxy is ending, we better hurry." The three large turians followed behind him, chuckling.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Finally finished this chapter, hopefully it doesn't suck! I'm a little surprised that people are managing to read my story without running off, thank you :) Work on the third chapter has begun, so it should be up in the next few days. Also, reviews are welcome.

* * *

Chapter Two

Septus Medana was relatively short for a turian male, measuring about 6'2. He had dark brown plates and bright orange colony markings that swept up his mandibles toward his fringe. At 30 years of age and fresh out of the turian military he was proud of his post as the turian councillor's assistant. His mandibles flared as he remembered the look of adoration on his mothers face when he told her about his selection for the prestigious position.

Even though it was the middle of the night on Elysium, he was busy setting up the Councillor's lavish hotel suite for a video conference. Just as he finished his preparations the turian councillor himself burst through the door. "Sir, everything is ready and the other Councillors are waiting to be patched through."  
The Councillor looked over at the young turian and nodded, "Of course, thank you Septus." He stepped in front of the screen and hit the blinking, orange button. Three figures flickered into view. There was an asari with white facial markings, Councillor Tevos. To her left was the human councillor, Marcus Teague, who had sandy blonde hair and sapphire colored eyes, his facial expression exhibited wariness. Next to him there was the salarian representative, Tezin Baern, her robes were a sage green with orange trim and her amphibian like features were stoic, as always.  
"Councillors" the turian nodded his greeting, "What's the emergency?"  
The human was the first to speak, "Vakarian, let us get straight to the point. There is an issue between the krogan and quarians that could lead to war if we don't intervene quickly."  
Garrus' mandibles fell open in a look of bewilderment. Councillor Tevos sighed, giving Teague a sideways glance, she elaborated, "It seems that the krogan and quarians were negotiating mineral rights for an asteroid in the Tikkun system. Several krogan teams were sent to start the mining operation but according to the quarian ambassador, Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch, the terms of the agreement have yet to be approved by both parties. When we questioned Urdnot Mordin, the krogan ambassador, she had no idea that the mining teams had been dispatched and proceeded to get in touch with Emperor Urdnot Tavek to clear up the issue. The Emperor is adamant the agreement was finalized."  
Shaking his head, Garrus sighed, "Then why don't we just review the agreement and check for ourselves that it is, in fact, finalized?"  
Councillor Baern spoke up, "Normally we would but with the krogan refusing to suspend mining operations while we review, the quarians are threatening to send a fleet to neutralize the krogan miners if they do not desist, giving us a much larger issue with which to contend."  
By this point Garrus was pacing back and forth in front of the screen, his subharmonics growling, "Damn krogan. Do we have any ideas on how to handle this?"  
Councillor Teague glanced at the asari and she nodded, "I believe it would be prudent to at least send a Spectre. That way we have a presence in the area and can possibly set up a summit between both species."  
They all voiced their agreement and Garrus contemplated his response, "In that case, I suggest Captain Shepard. She has the most experience with both species involved."  
Councillor Tevos looked at Garrus and nodded her assent, "Yes, I think that would be best."  
Teague brought his tanned hand up to his face and scratched the side of his stubbled cheek, "Captain Shepard is currently in the same system as you, Garrus. The Normandy is docked at Elysium and is meant to be there for several days. I think it would be a good idea for you to rendezvous with the Captain as soon as possible and head back to the Citadel for an official briefing with the ambassadors so we can bring everyone up to speed before we ship her out to the Tikkun system."

The turian rubbed the back of his neck and his mandibles fluttered, he hadn't actually seen Shepard in person in well over 20 years. The last time was when Tali had managed to drag him away from work long enough to attend Shepard and Kaidan's wedding. Sure, they had kept in touch for a few years after that but eventually they drifted apart, both absorbed in their careers.  
Since becoming the turian Councillor he had spoken with her over vid calls regarding Spectre business several times but that was all, not to mention on the last call, Baern had pissed the Spectre off and Shepard had told them to 'Stick it where the sun don't shine' before she had Joker disconnect the call. Seeing her again could be interesting.  
It then occurred to him that he would need to cancel his appearance at the grand opening of the new turian military base on Elysium, his whole reason for being on the planet. "Okay, I'll have to inform Primarch Victus and General Keressan that I'm cutting my trip short. Marcus, could you please forward the docking information for the Normandy to me and inform them that I will be joining the crew on their return trip. I'll book passage on the next transporter off world for my assistant and security detail, so no need to worry about them." The human Councillor nodded and Baern spoke, "We await your timely arrival, Councillor Vakarian. Good night." The screen flickered to black.  
Garrus took a deep breath and exhaled trying to relax his tense shoulders. "Septus, could you come here please." The short turian walked into the room and stood in front of the Councillor with a questioning look. Garrus explained the situation to his assistant, then proceeded to compose messages to both the Primarch and the General. With that done he decided to get some sleep.

As he lay in bed looking at the ceiling his thoughts drifted to the young woman he met at the bar earlier that night. He had hoped to be able to see Edi before he left but once again his career got in the way of his personal life. Rolling over onto his side he punched his pillow into submission and cursed. There had to be a way, and spirits damn it, he was going to find it. Maybe he could take a trip to Grissom Academy when the krogan and quarians figured their shit out? His last thoughts, before sleep claimed him, were of beautiful green eyes, ebony locks and swaying hips.

* * *

The double doors swished open and revealed the staff common room. Edi walked over to the cooler, grabbed a water then made her way down the hall to the her quarters. Before she opened the door to her sanctuary a smoky voice caught her attention,  
"So, have fun?"  
Edi turned and looked over at a slim, tattooed woman leaning against the opposite wall, "Actually, yeah, I did." A small smile appeared on Edi's face as she remembered giving the handsome turian a chaste kiss. She glared at the older woman who started laughing at her, "Screw you Jack!"  
Jack shook her head, "Sorry kiddo, it's just you have the 'I got laid' look..." Giving Edi an appraising look she continued, "Please tell me I'm right, because you really need a good fuck, it's been too long."  
Giving Jack the finger, she turned, opened the door and walked into her room. The other woman followed and sat on the bed next to Edi, "If you must know, no, I did not get laid but I did meet someone," she looked down and started fiddling with the hem of her shirt, "he's a bit older than me…and he's a turian."  
A tattooed hand slapped Edi on the shoulder and a warm chuckle erupted from Jack, "Damn, you should have fucked him, turians are a hell of a lot of fun in the sack." Looking wistful for a moment, she continued "Are you going to see him again?"  
Thinking about the question, Edi shrugged, "I hope so but he is only on Elysium for a couple more days. I gave him my number and he seemed interested but...I don't know, I suppose I'll find out."  
The older woman was silent for a bit, then raised her arms above her head and stretched, joints popping as she did so, "Well, I need to get some sleep, got the senior biotics class in the morning."  
Edi's brows furrowed in confusion, "I thought Mom had them for her lecture tomorrow?"  
Jack shook her head and rose up from the bed, "Nope, not anymore. She got a call from the human Councillor about some Spectre shit and had to cancel the lecture. Oh, that reminds me, she was looking for you earlier. I said you'd gone planet side. Not sure what she wanted, maybe to say bye?" She turned to face the young woman and leaned against the doorway, "I know you guys have a fucked up relationship but..."  
"Your powers of keen observation astound me" Edi scoffed.  
Jack glared at the younger woman, "Watch yourself smart ass." Slim arms crossed in front of her chest as she stood up straight, "Look Edi, I know your mom can be a pain in the ass but she's a good person. Hell, she was the first person to ever give a shit about me. You guys just need to get over yourselves and sort your crap out. I think Jane's trying to make up for the messed way you grew up, so give her a chance, okay?"  
Edi held Jack's gaze for a moment and exhaled slowly, "My childhood was fine. Granny was, and still is, the best parent I could ever wish for, that's not the problem. The fact that I will never be what Mom wants me to be is the problem and ever since Dad died it's just gotten worse."  
Large, dark eyes held green for a few moments before Jack spoke, "Yeah, I know kiddo. It can't be easy living up to the Queen of the Girl Scouts' expectations. You should go and see what she wanted before you go to bed though, I think she's still awake."  
"I might do that. Thanks Jack." The other woman just nodded before walking out of the room, the door swishing closed behind her.

Edi's sharp features expressed a look of unease as she sat on her bed. Her omnitool lit up and chirped, signalling a new message. It was from her mother telling her they needed to speak immediately. Deciding that she should get up and find out what was so important, she exited her room and walked a little further down the hall. Standing in front of the door to the guest room, she hesitated and took a deep breath before knocking.  
"Come in" a muffled voice replied from behind the door.  
Edi strolled in and noticed her mother seated at the small desk on the far side of the room typing rapidly at the terminal there. She took a seat on the small bed next to her and looked over at the older woman. Her mother was slim and muscular with short, dark red hair, she had green eyes and scarred, pale skin. Edi looked similar in some ways but she had taken after her father in regards to hair and skin color.  
"Mom, you wanted to see me?"  
Long fingers stopped typing and her mother turned to face her. After a brief pause she finally spoke, "I've been asked to go on a mission so we won't be able to visit Granny like we had planned."  
Edi looked down at her booted feet and sighed, she should have expected this, "I get it, Spectre business. No worries, I'm sure there's a transporter going to Earth in the next few days that I can catch and Granny will understand that you can't make it."  
"Well, that's not all. I've told Granny neither of us will be coming." She held up a hand signalling Edi to not ask questions, "I'm sure you won't be pleased with what I've done. But you are a marine, so I hope you will accept that duty has to come first." Giving her daughter a stern look she continued, "By the sounds of it the Council might be sending me into a bit of a shit storm and I need a full team. I find myself in need of an infiltration specialist seeing as Corporal Davies is on an indefinite leave of absence and will not be returning to the Normandy. I take it you are still proficient with a sniper rifle?"

As part of her routine Edi would spend a couple of hours at the shooting range each week to keep her skills sharp, so in theory she was still capable with a rifle. Though too baffled by what was said so far, Edi just nodded in response.  
"Good. Admiral Johnson has already processed your transfer and you are now officially under my command. Kahlee has been informed about the change and has organized a substitute teacher to take over your classes until they can find a permanent replacement for you." The older woman rubbed her brow and winced when she saw her daughters expression, "If I had the opportunity to discuss this with you before making the arrangements, I would have, but we don't have the luxury of time. Hopefully you can accept this without too much drama Lieutenant Alenko."  
The use of her rank made Edi bristle. This was definitely not what she was expecting when she walked into the room five minutes ago. It felt like she was being punished. Force transferred, not to mention Captain Shepard was now her commanding officer and there was nothing she could do about it. Edi was definitely perplexed and more than a little pissed off, "Permission to speak freely, Captain." Shepard nodded her assent and Edi continued, "Let me get this straight, I'm now a member of the Normandy's crew?"  
"Yes." Was all Shepard said in reply.  
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Edi continued. "Was there no one else that could take the Corporal's place?" Digging her nails into the palm of her hand she tried to bite down on her growing anger, "Also, did you even consider that I might not want to serve on the Normandy?"  
With a grimace at her daughters last question Shepard answered, "You are the only Alliance soldier that I could think of that had the skills I require plus be able to join my crew on such short notice. And to be honest Edi, I looked at this as an opportunity for us both. Teaching at Grissom Academy is fine for some people but I can't help thinking that you're wasting so many opportunities. I mean damn Edi, you graduated from officers training top of your class, you could have had any assignment you wanted but you chose teaching, I wonder if that had more to do with rebelling against me than anything else."  
Shepard sighed and ran a hand through her hair, she could tell the younger woman was not happy with what she was saying so she changed her approach, "I also think that this would be a way for us to learn about each other. You may be my daughter by blood but I was never really there when you were growing up and I'm sorry about that." Slipping off her chair Shepard kneeled in front of her daughter and placed her hand on Edi's knee, she glanced up and matching green eyes stared back, "Ever since your dad died we have been at each others throats and I don't want to continue down that path...Whether you believe me or not, I do love you and only want the best for you."  
Edi noticed her mother's voice started to quiver as she was speaking. It was the first time that Shepard had actually shown her daughter any kind of emotion other than disappointment since they had buried her father.  
"Look, at the end of this mission you can choose to do anything you want but please, be open minded. Don't think I'm trying to push you into anything, that's not the motivation here. I really do need an infiltrator and you're the best person for the job, it's as simple as that. The whole mommy-daughter bonding thing is an added bonus."  
Looking into her mother's eyes Edi could see the regret of lost opportunities. They had always rubbed each other the wrong way but Edi could tell Shepard wasn't doing this to piss her off, she legitimately needed her help and wanted to heal old wounds.  
With a deep breath Edi let go of all the pent up anger and grudges from years of disappointment and hurt. "I have to admit, the idea of getting off this station and possibly shooting things has it's appeal. Also, learning about the real you might be nice but give me a little time to get over being blindsided first, I can't say you're my favorite person right now."  
Shepard cracked a smile, "I can understand that...you know, I was expecting more yelling. You've definitely taken this in stride, thank you." With a sigh of relief Shepard stood, her knees cracking in the process. As she sat back down in front of the terminal again she added, "I will keep my distance as a parent for the time being but remember, I am your commanding officer and I expect you to follow orders."  
Edi rose off the bed, saluted her mother and retreated back to her room to pack.

About an hour after the conversation with her mother Edi had finished packing. She was lying on top of her bed trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. It was a little hard to believe that she was going to be on the Normandy, the ship that was part of every story she had heard while growing up. Excitement and apprehension were radiating off her.  
Then her mind brought forward an image of her finger tracing a scarred mandible and thoughts of Rus flooded her brain. Looking down at her omnitool, she wondered if she should message him. As she was scrolling through her contacts she noticed the time, it was late and there was only four hours before she needed to report to the Normandy. With that in mind she decided to send him a message once she was settled on the ship.  
Rolling onto her side she stared blankly at the beige wall remembering how the older turian's voice sounded, _'that guy could read a textbook on hanar mating rituals and make it sound sexy' _she thought. Experiencing a pang of arousal she willed her mind to think of something less appealing. After a few minutes she fell into a light sleep, her lips curling into a smile as she dreamed of light touches and devilish kisses.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hello dear readers! While writing this chapter I got attacked by a very rabid plot bunny, so the story is heading in a slightly different direction than I had first planned but have no fear, the Garrus romance is still there, trying to blossom...there will just be a bit of adventure going on around it. Also please review, they give me the warm and fuzzies...and feel free to criticize as well, just don't be too mean.

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Chapter Three

As he sat and gazed out the window to his right he could see the Normandy SR2 gleaming in the distance. Just looking at the old frigate brought back fond memories of chasing rogue Spectres, destroying Collector bases and taking down huge, synthetic-organic hybrids who threatened to destroy the galaxy. But he was also flooded by feelings of loss and devastation.  
Shaking the negative thoughts from his mind he continued to stare at the ship. The paint was not as shiny as it once was and a few extra dings and scrapes adorned the hull, kind of like himself if he thought about it.  
Being part of the infamous crew that lead the assault against the Reapers on Earth had catapulted Garrus into the limelight. According to everyone in the galaxy he was a hero and his people looked to him as a leader when it came time to start rebuilding. Grudgingly he accepted the responsibility thrust upon him, making certain sacrifices along the way and for once his father was proud.

A familiar voice jarred him from his thoughts. "Hey, look what the cat dragged in!"  
Slightly confused by what that meant, Garrus blinked and stared up at the figure looming over him. It had been nearly 25 years since he had seen the pilot and he could tell those years hadn't been kind to the man. The eyes that once gleamed with humor had become wary and his face was lined by age.  
"Joker!" Garrus stood and shook hands with him, "It's been too long. How are you doing?"  
A small smile appeared on Joker's face but it didn't reach his eyes, "Oh, not too bad. What about yourself, Councillor?"  
With a taloned hand Garrus rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled at the inflection Joker used when he mentioned his title. "Umm, yeah, it's just Garrus to you and I'm doing well, busy but I can't complain."

They spoke for a while longer, giving each other highlights about what had happened to them over the last couple of decades. He discovered that Joker now carried the rank of Commander and was Shepard's XO.  
"Still piloting the Normandy after all these years, Joker? I'd have thought both you and Shepard would be Admirals with cushy desk jobs by now."  
Crossing his arms in front of him, Joker glared at the turian, "Hey, don't say such horrible things. Believe me the Alliance brass has tried. I just told them that either the Normandy or myself would have to be dead before they drag my crippled ass out of that pilot seat. I think Shepard said something along the same lines" Joker shrugged, "Plus being a Spectre kind of prevents them from grounding her so there's that too."

Garrus could imagine how that conversation went. Both humans had a soft spot for the ship, though Joker more so than Shepard. Considering that he had been in a relationship with EDI, the AI Cerberus had installed in the ship prior to the Reaper Wars, his attachment was understandable. When Shepard had activated the Crucible to destroy the Reapers it had an undesirable side-effect of shutting down the Geth and EDI too. The pilot was beside himself with grief and Garrus was sure some part of the man died that day with EDI.  
Thinking about the AI made Garrus look at his omnitool and ponder whether he should message the Edi he met last night. Deciding that he could wait until he had some time alone he brought his attention back to Joker, who was waving someone over. Glancing to his left, Garrus recognized the person heading their way.

Jane Shepard strolled up and stood in front of the councillor, her green eyes looking him up and down. Something about her gaze made him feel a little uneasy but he couldn't put a finger on it.  
"It's been a long time Vakarian."  
"That it has Shepard."  
She smiled and slapped him on the shoulder, "I hope you don't expect me to call you 'Councillor' and run after your ass."  
It was Garrus' turn to smile and he shook his head, "Of course not. Although, I'm sure you wouldn't even if I wanted you to."  
The Spectre laughed and motioned for the two males to follow her as she walked up the loading bridge and onto the Normandy. "Come on Joker, we have to get this old bird prepped and ready to go." As she made her way toward the CIC from the bridge Shepard looked over her shoulder, "Welcome aboard Garrus."

* * *

The alarm on Edi's omnitool blared, signalling that it was time to get her ass out of bed. She got dressed, grabbed her Alliance issue duffel bag and sauntered into the kitchen that was used by the Grissom staff. Once she had made herself a cup of coffee she leaned against the counter and looked over at Jack who was studying a pad she held in her hand.  
The older woman noticed Edi's presence and spoke, "Morning kiddo. Kahlee told me about you being transferred, you okay?"  
Sighing heavily Edi dipped her head, "Yeah, I don't really have a choice so no point being pissed about it...by the way, have you seen Mom?"  
Jack got up and scooted around the counter towards Edi, "Yeah, she's already gone to get stuff ready."  
Without warning Jack grabbed the Lieutenant and gave her a hug, "I'm not good at this mushy shit, so.." Releasing her hold, Jack took a step back and crinkled her dark brow. "I'm gonna go and ah, get ready for class. Bye kiddo." And with that the tattooed woman left the room.

A little taken back by the awkward farewell she just received Edi pursed her lips and peered down at her untouched coffee.  
It was over a year ago that she came to the school as an instructor. Grissom Academy was run by the Alliance but was home to some of the greatest young minds from across the galaxy. The student body was mainly made up of humans but there were some asari, turians, quarians, salarians and even a few krogan that attended. It took a while for Jack to warm up to Edi when she arrived but eventually they became good friends. Edi was going to miss the older woman.

As she chugged the lukewarm liquid she remembered that her hamster was still in her office, no way she was going to forget that little guy. Rushing out of the staff quarters she headed for her office and through the door. What she saw made her stop dead in her tracks. One of the students she taught, a human who went by the name of Olivia Turner, was seated at her terminal, scrolling quickly through files.  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"  
Olivia looked up and gasped. Edi lurched at the girl but before she could grab her, Olivia shot out of the chair and palm struck her teacher in the side of the nose before running toward the door.  
With watery eyes and a bleeding nose Edi whirled around and sent a cryo blast with her omnitool in the direction of her attacker, it missed and froze the shelving on the wall instead. The student took advantage of the situation and hit Edi with a Neural Shock.  
Immense pain shot through her brain as her body curled into the fetal position. With murder in her eye and a curse on her lips Edi passed out.

* * *

Standing in the CIC he examined his surroundings. Everything was still as he remembered, the only difference was the interface for the galaxy map had been updated.  
Shepard was at the terminal situated beside the map, checking her messages and various reports. The woman was 3 years older than Garrus but she didn't exhibit the usual signs of age that came with being human. Dark red hair was unaffected by greying and her body was still muscular and fit. Her face had a few wrinkles that never used to be there and quite a few extra scars adorned her pale skin but she was still the same Shepard that he had followed into hell and back. Obviously those implants Cerberus had rebuilt her with all those years ago were doing their job.

The Councillor looked down at the rucksack he clutched in his hand, "Shepard, where can I put my things?"  
She turned to face him and eyed his bag, "You travel light. Glad to see being a stuffy politician hasn't gone to your head."  
They both chuckled and Shepard indicated towards the elevator. The ride was quicker than it used to be and soon they were standing on the crew deck.  
"Things have changed around some since you were here last." Pointing over at a door across the hall, next to the memorial wall, she continued, "What you knew as life support is now the Executive Officer's quarters. Life support was relocated to where the AI core used to be."  
The brief reference to the artificial intelligence made Shepard pause and a frown crossed her features. After a moment she came back to herself and cleared her throat, "The old XO office where Liara had set up shop during the war is where you'll be staying for the duration of our trip. The room was altered during the last retrofits for this very purpose actually."  
Garrus gave the Spectre a questioning look so she explained, "Occasionally the Alliance get me to escort dignitaries around when extra security is needed. I'm not fond of it but it keeps them off my back."

They wandered over to the 'Diplomat Suite'. Garrus threw his stuff down and peered around the room. It was richly furnished which was a contrast to the utilitarian feel of the space. There was a sitting area by the window and a desk on the opposite wall. Towards the back of the room was a door that opened into a bedroom with a large bed and two ornate side tables. Off to the side there was another entryway where a small bathroom was located.  
Shepard leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. "Just so you know, the main battery is still where it used to be. Feel free to check out the guns, I'm sure they're in need of calibrating."  
At the Captain's friendly jab Garrus started laughing, "I might just do that. But first, a walk around the ship sounds like a good idea. Do you have time to give an old friend a small tour?"  
The woman's mouth curled into a smile and she inclined her head in acquiescence. "Sure, but I need to visit Joker on the bridge first to make sure we're on schedule."

Minutes later, Shepard was leaning on the back of Joker's chair. They were going over ration deliveries, both levo and dextro, when the woman looked at her omnitool checking the time.  
Her face twisted like she had just bitten into something sour, "Joker, please tell me Lieutenant Alenko has reported in and I just missed her."  
Not sure how to respond, Joker just sat as still as a statue and hoped his Captain wasn't about to blow a gasket.  
"This is fucking wonderful, she's late for her first day. When I talked to her last night I thought she was actually going to try for once, obviously I was fucking wrong!" Her fists clenched and booted feet stormed back in the direction of the CIC.  
Garrus could tell Shepard was pissed but he was extremely confused by what he just witnessed, "Ah, Joker. What just happened?"  
The seat twisted around to face the bewildered turian and Joker just groaned, "Shepard junior is joining the crew. I'm positive what you just saw is only the beginning so, yeah. This is going to be fun."  
Still mildly perplexed, Garrus followed the path taken by the irate Spectre to see if there was anything he could do to possibly calm her down.

* * *

Pain greeted Edi as she returned to a state of consciousness. Dried blood crusted her top lip and a constant throb assaulted her brain but she was awake.  
With great effort she clambered to her feet and logged in to her terminal to see what files were hacked, cursing when she discovered what had been viewed.  
Her omnitool beeped with an incoming call but she quickly hit the ignore button. Whoever that was could wait, she needed to get to Kahlee and find that little bitch that punched her. She grabbed the hamster cage from her desk and slung her bag over her shoulder before stumbling down the corridor to Kahlee's office.

The doors opened automatically to allow her entrance and Edi fell into the nearest chair, opposite the blonde woman seated behind the large desk and placed her stuff on the carpeted floor by her feet.  
"Admiral, we have a problem."  
Pale blue eyes looked at her intently for a time before the aged Admiral rose from her seat and stepped around the desk to investigate the young woman's injuries, "What do you mean Edith? Who did this to you?"  
"One of my students, Olivia Turner. We need to find her."  
An orange light appeared as the other woman activated her omnitool to alert security then gentle fingers pressed lightly against the bridge of her wounded nose and Edi winced. Just that small touch felt like a krogan had head butted her, the headache wasn't helping either.  
"Hmm, the bridge of your nose is definitely fractured. Hold on, I'll get some medi-gel. Care to elaborate while I do so?"  
Edi started to describe the incident as Kahlee carefully applied medi-gel to her swollen nose. The Admiral finished and leaned against her desk, both hands gripping the edge as she continued to listen to what the young Lieutenant was saying.  
"Kahlee, we need to warn the Council. We have no idea who's behind this and what they plan to do. The Quarians could be sitting ducks."  
Before Kahlee could answer they were interrupted by a security guard over the com, "Ma'am, a shuttle is missing. It appears the perpetrator overrode the stations security and escaped without tripping any alarms."  
Curses burst out of both women's mouths when the realization hit that their one lead had flown away unhindered. Moments later Edi's omnitool lit up with a strongly worded message from Shepard telling her to get her ass to the Normandy ASAP.  
"Shit. I'm expected on the Normandy but...I can't leave now. This is more-"  
A wrinkled hand on her shoulder made Edi pause and peer up at the Admiral whose face was set into an expression of contemplation.  
"Actually, you can. Captain Shepard mentioned that Councillor Vakarian, the turian representative, is on the Normandy for the trip back to the Citadel. You need to fill him in and see whether the Council are willing to bring your mother into the fold to help investigate what's going on. We are going to need all the help we can get to figure this out. While you're doing that I'll speak to the human councillor as well. Fingers crossed they actually do something because I have a bad feeling about this."

Edi recognized the name 'Vakarian' from some of the stories she had been told growing up and hoped that he would be willing to listen and not disregard their concerns. Though she wasn't holding her breath. Based on what her mother had told her about the Council ignoring her warnings before the Reapers invaded, it sounded like the politicians preferred to hide their heads in the sand like ostriches rather than deal with a problem.

Now that she had some semblance of a plan Lieutenant Alenko rose from her chair, saluted the ranking officer and collected her hamster and personal effects, walking briskly for the exit.  
Before she made it out of the room Admiral Sanders called after her.  
"Edith, just so you know, I'm sorry your mother transferred you. There was nothing I could do, the project is classified so I couldn't explain…"  
Interrupting the older lady, Edi continued for her, "And you couldn't refuse a Spectre's request either, I know." Taking a quick look at the digital display on the wall she noticed the time, "I better get a move on or said Spectre will tear me a new one. Thank you Kahlee, and I'll let you know what the Councillor says."

Clearance was given for her to depart Grissom Academy and she was shuttled to the spaceport near Elysium's capital, Illyria.  
With a slight headache and tender nose Edi grabbed her things and ran flat out in the direction of the Normandy, her small rodent getting jostled around and squeaking his protests in the process. She burst through the open airlock and onto the bridge nearly giving Joker a heart attack.  
"Glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence. Shepard's in the CIC. Boy, am I happy not to be you right now."  
The only reply he received was a rude gesture from Edi's retreating form.

As she was closing in on Shepard's location she could hear two people talking. One voice was her mother's, deep and authoritative but the other seemed to be dual toned and it sent a shiver down her spine. Edi approached slowly and halted on the spot when she saw the back of a turian male and heard the rich, velvety voice more clearly.  
Recognizing it instantly, she put two and two together and let slip the first thing that came to her mind, "Fuck!"


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Phew, this chapter took a little longer to write but I got there eventually. The chapter five should be up within the next few days. Feel free to give the story some love...or criticism...or nothing, whatever floats your boat. Thank you for stopping by and giving it a read.

* * *

Chapter Four

The expletive made both Shepard and Garrus turn. His mandibles went slack in a look that resembled shock when he laid eyes on the young woman that had been the star of his not-so-innocent dreams less than a few hours ago.  
Unable to move or speak while his mind was trying to comprehend what was happening, the turian just stared. When he noticed the black rings under Edi's eyes and what appeared to be blood stains on her uniform, confusion turned to worry.  
Just as he was about to voice his concern, Shepard spoke up. "What the hell took you so long Lieutenant?"  
The Spectre's tone was sharp, causing Edi to flinch. He could see her vibrant green eyes glare in the direction of her mother, "Captain, I can't explain that yet."  
Turning her panda bear orbs back toward him she heaved a sigh, "Councillor Vakarian I presume?" The tone of her voice betrayed her uneasiness with the situation causing Garrus to dip his head sheepishly in response.  
"We need to talk." said Edi a little shakily  
Disconcerted by the remark Garrus looked at the woman like she had grown another head, _why would she want to talk about this now?_ he thought. With a furtive glance he could tell Shepard was slightly confused by the interaction taking place.  
"Edi, what's going on?" spluttered the red head.  
"I need to speak with the Councillor before I can say anything Mom, please, just be patient," replied Edi in a matter-of-fact tone.  
The turian furrowed his brow plates but figured he should agree to speak with the Lieutenant before her mother had an aneurysm. They made their way to the elevator, leaving the bewildered Spectre standing by her terminal.

The doors swished closed and he released the breath that he didn't know he had been holding, "Edi, I'm sure you're most prob-"  
He was interrupted mid sentence, "Before we start talking about that there's something else a little more important that needs to be discussed."  
Smoothly, the elevator stopped and deposited them in front of the memorial wall. Edi went into the crew quarters to drop off her things, which he noticed included a hamster. _Like mother, like daughter,_ he thought to himself, then instantly regretted it when he realized that just made things more awkward, _best not to compare her to Shepard_.  
Finished with her task, she motioned for him to lead the way to his suite so they could speak privately.  
They settled on the couch near the window, both sitting at opposite ends, facing each other.  
"Okay. I'm sure you know about the Mass Effect Matrix project." Wondering where the hell she was going with this he just bobbed his head.  
"Well, Grissom Academy was tasked with developing the algorithms needed for activating and deactivating the fields. I was part of the team that designed them." She brought a hand up and scratched behind her ear nervously.  
"This morning I was attacked by a student when I walked in on them accessing my terminal. We had a bit of a scuffle. She broke my nose, with the heel of her hand I might add and knocked me out with a neural shock before I could grab her." she said, pointing at her nose for emphasis.  
"Once I regained consciousness I checked to see what the little bitch had been looking for and noticed she'd accessed and copied all the files pertaining to the algorithm designs."  
Rising from the couch Edi began pacing back and forth in front of Garrus while he stayed seated, considering what this could mean for the quarians. At length he spoke, "The files are encrypted, right?"  
Freezing mid step she rounded on him, "Of course they are fucking encrypted but that won't stop someone that is capable of disabling a stations fucking security systems so they can fucking steal a shuttle and fly off without a fucking problem!"  
Not even fazed by her show of temper, Garrus found himself thinking that she was quite beautiful when she was angry, even with a bruised and swollen nose. Although, now that he knew who her parents were, the resemblance was uncanny and a little unsettling. Discerning that his runaway thoughts were heading into uncomfortable territory, he shook his head and stood up.  
He walked towards her, gently grabbing her by the arms.  
"Edi, take a deep breath and calm down, okay? We'll figure this out."  
As she took a deep breath he could feel some of the tension ease from her muscles. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed lightly as she leaned into his embrace, resting her head against his chest plates.  
All too soon the moment ended and she went rigid, backing away, "Umm, yeah. Admiral Sanders mentioned possibly explaining this to Captain Shepard and I agree with her, Mom would be helpful in trying to figure this mess out."

Garrus, bereft of her touch, turned to gaze out the window. The Normandy was ascending through the planets atmosphere and he could see the faint shimmering of stars begin to appear but he wasn't really appreciating the view, his mind was busy.  
With the new information from Edi, he started to wonder if the incident at Grissom could be related to the 'misunderstanding' between the krogan and quarians. Both species were positive about their positions on the subject and were willing to risk war because of their certainty. Sure, the krogan could be difficult to deal with but they weren't impossible and the quarians could be annoying sometimes but they were generally open-minded. Neither party would be that absolute if they weren't sure. Something didn't add up.  
"What if the mining agreement was altered so that it would cause contention?" he accidentally mumbled out loud.  
"What are you talking about?" Edi asked, a delicate, dark eyebrow raised in question.  
Her voice jerked him back to reality and his icy, blue eyes regarded her intently before he spoke, "There's been a disagreement between the krogan and quarians in regards to a mining rights that are being contested. The situation is escalating quickly, mainly due to Urdnot Tavek being an bastard, that's why Shepard and I have been called back to the Citadel. But weighing in what you just told me, I'm beginning to think there's more going on than meets the eye."  
Edi's face took on a puzzled expression and he could see the cogs of her brain turning as she processed all the data. Once the proverbial light bulb shone bright she gasped, "It's obviously something to do with Rannoch but who could be behind this and what are they after?"  
"Both very good questions...I think you're right, Shepard will need to be told about the project. I'm sure once she's brought up to speed she'll agree that both issues are related and not just coincidence."  
The young woman nodded her head and distractedly ambled in the direction of the exit.  
"One more thing, before we go and talk to the Captain. I think we should take the time to discuss a few things, clear the air if you will." Garrus said, making her stop and face him.  
She released an audible breath that blew the few strands of dark hair that had fallen from her ponytail away from her face before she verbalized her thoughts, "Rus, oh...I mean Garrus," Edi's brows furrowed due to her fumble with his name but she quickly recovered, "I get why you weren't open with me about who you are, it's most probably the same reason why I don't advertise the fact that the great Jane Shepard, savior of the galaxy, is my mother." Edi worried at her lower lip for a few seconds, then continued, "So, I'm not mad but I am a little, ah, shocked."  
The turian looked down at the dark carpet covering the floor, "Edi, that doesn't change the fact that I feel horrible...and I'm sorry that I wasn't completely honest. I was going to tell you eventually, you know, if we actually started a relationship."  
Silence ensued and the atmosphere in the room buzzed with the awkward tension radiating off them.  
"I'm sure it's a little difficult for you, finding out who my parents are," Edi finally said, still situated near the door.  
"That's one way of putting it. Discovering that your mother and father are people I once knew very well does make things a little uncomfortable, add to that the age difference and I'm left wondering what the hell is wrong with me for even considering this." Garrus replied as he collapsed onto the couch.  
The turian leaned forward, cradled his head between both hands and squeezed his eyes shut so tightly little dots started to appear behind his eyelids. Light footsteps approached and the couch dipped as Edi sat next to him, their thighs touching. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself, and her scent wafted through his nasal passages. She smelt of something sweet and exotic, some Earth flower that he didn't recognize but there was also a note of warmth to the aroma that was uniquely her and he found it soothing.  
"Edi, if we try this, our friends and families aren't going to pat us on the back and give their best wishes." He sighed and rubbed a taloned hand down his face, "I'm sure you can find something closer to home, you know, someone younger and maybe human," Garrus said, his eyes fixated on the wall opposite them.  
"So, you think we should ignore our feelings because other people might view them as morally questionable?" she quietly queried.  
Edi's question startled him and he raised his head to look upon the human. For a moment he considered the inquiry and his mandibles flared ever so slightly in amusement. He had been expecting anger, or defeat in response to what he had said but she just summed up his worries in a question, which now that he heard it from her lips, sounded like a weak argument.  
"No, I don't think we should ignore our feelings but...are you sure you want to pursue this?"  
Edi grabbed his carapace and pulled him closer, making him twist to face her as she rested her forehead against his, "I'm sure. There's something about you that draws me in...I want to give us a try and get to know you better."  
In reply Garrus dipped his head, the movement making the young woman pull back and hiss. His expression was troubled and she pointed to her nose again by way of answer, "Damn thing is still sore."  
The Councillor replied in understanding and got up from the sofa, "Well, back to business I suppose."  
Edi followed him to the door and they exited the room together, set on finding Shepard.

A short time later they found Shepard in the Communications Hub, or CH for short. During the Reaper Wars the area was known as the War Room but since then it had been outfitted with cutting edge communication arrays that enhanced interstellar transmissions. Garrus was impressed.  
"So, am I allowed to know why you were late and showed up with a broken nose now, Lieutenant Alenko?" The Spectre's words were dripping with disdain but to Edi's credit she appeared to have ignored the hidden venom and stood in front of her Captain and saluted.  
"Yes ma'am. Councillor Vakarian has authorized me to brief you on the events that transpired before my arrival on the Normandy, ma'am," Edi said in true military fashion and it was obvious to Garrus she hadn't ignored her mother's tone at all.  
"Quit being flippant otherwise you'll be scrubbing the bathroom floors with your toothbrush soldier!" By this point Shepard had risen to her full height, her hands clasped behind her back, looking every bit the seasoned Captain that she was.  
The turian stepped forward to intervene before either woman could do something that they would regret, "Ah, Shepard, I understand you're upset but Edi, I mean, Lieutenant Alenko has done nothing wrong. She had to get permission before she could explain because the information is pertinent to a classified project that you did not have clearance for…until now."  
Garrus could see that his words did the trick.  
Captain Shepard took a step back from her daughter and let out a long sigh, "Fine, lets hear it then."  
Edi launched into her description of the mornings events. As soon as she finished Shepard started with the questions, "Okay, explain to me what the project is and how you're involved."  
"In college I majored in Mathematics and minored in Quantum Theory. When I graduated top of my class, with the rank of Lieutenant and a bachelors degree, the Alliance asked me if I wanted to work on a special, galaxy wide project, the Mass Effect Matrix, or MEM as we call it.  
It's based on technology gathered from the Mass Relay repairs. The scientists developed an understanding of the quantum shielding used by the relays and were able to reverse engineer it to design a planetary defense network that could be implemented by all homeworlds."

Edi's speech started to speed up as she became more excited and her arms started flailing demonstratively as she explained how the MEM worked, kind of reminiscent of the salarian doctor, Mordin Solus, who had joined the crew when the Collectors were abducting human colonies.

"It's an amazing idea really. You see, there's a massive power station on the planet that provides energy to the Tesla Effect Core that's built next to it. The Tesla Effect Core uses precise lasers to ionize a trajectory through the atmosphere, kind of like reverse lightning, toward a passing node which absorbs the energy. There are thousands of nodes orbiting perpendicular to the axis of the planets rotation. The nodes have eezo cores, which, when charged, emit mass effect fields and the nodes are triangulated to merge their fields to create something similar to a biotic barrier..."

Garrus could tell that the Spectre was trying to keep up with what her daughter was explaining as she stood with her hip cocked, arms crossed and her head slightly at an angle with an expression of intent concentration on her face. The Councillor himself only had a rough idea about how the MEM worked, so he sympathized with Shepard. But listening to Edi ramble on so passionately about the matrix made his heart swell with adoration.  
Edi was young, intelligent and beautiful. She could have any man, woman or otherwise in the galaxy but she was interested in him, an old, scarred, stuffy politician. He couldn't believe his luck.  
Garrus drifted back to the conversation and Edi's fruity voice could still be heard.

"...Rannoch was the homeworld chosen for the first implementation of the MEM. Seeing as the quarians aren't very established compared to other species it was concluded that they would benefit from the shield most."  
Shepard then asked, "You still haven't explained what you did for the project Edi, care to enlighten me?"  
"Oh, yeah, sorry. So, when the Alliance asked me to work on the project, I jumped at the chance. They stationed me at Grissom Academy where I taught part-time and joined the team tasked with developing the algorithms needed to activate and deactivate the shield to allow ships to enter and exit Rannoch's atmosphere. The algorithms target two sets of triangulated nodes and it was quite a complex problem to tackle, the randomized-"  
A scarred, pale hand shot up and signalled for Edi to be quiet, "Hold up Edi. Are you telling me that whoever hacked your terminal and stole the files, now has the ability to shut down Rannoch's MEM?"  
"Basically, yes. The files are encrypted, although I don't think that will hinder them for long,' Edi acknowledged.  
Jane was quiet for a moment, then looked over at her friend. "This bullshit with the krogan and quarians has to be connected somehow. It seems like someone is wanting to distract the quarians so they can get through to the planet without an issue but why?"  
Garrus shrugged, "I have no idea but I need to put a call through and discuss this with the other councillors, can I use the vidcom?"  
Shepard gestured toward some steps at the back of the room, "Knock yourself out."

As Garrus made his way to the back of the room the older woman gave Edi a sidelong glance. Her daughter was watching the turian's retreating form with, what looked to be, yearning.  
Slightly bemused, Shepard indicated for the Lieutenant to follow her, "Come on, let's go introduce you to the team."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Okay, I posted chapter 5 the other day, but certain things really annoyed me, so I deleted it. This is the majorly edited version and I feel a lot better about it. Sorry for the confusion if you read the previous edit but this is the proper one. Thank you to those who have reviewed, I like knowing what the readers are thinking :) So, if you feel so inclined, please review. Also, I'll most probably be posting a chapter per week now, maybe two if time allows. Thank you for reading.

* * *

Chapter Five

Edi managed to convince Shepard to wait for 10 minutes while she got herself cleaned up and changed into a fresh uniform. As soon as she exited the crew quarters her mother dragged her into the med bay where a curvy woman, who looked to be in her late 30's, was mumbling to herself, bent over a microscope.  
"Doc, got a minute?" asked Shepard.  
The doctor seemed a little hesitant about interrupting her intense study but finally relented and turned her heart shaped face toward the pair.  
"Of course, Captain. Ah, this must be Lieutenant Alenko, the family resemblance is hard to miss." The woman spoke with a smooth, southern drawl that made Edi feel at ease instantly.  
"Yes, this is my daughter, First Lieutenant Edith Alenko. Edi, this is Doctor Amy Gillette."  
The Spectre's tone sounded like it carried an undertone of pride, but Edi silently scoffed at the thought. She stepped forward and grasped the doctor's outstretched hand, "Nice to meet you, Doctor Gillette."  
"Just call me Doc or Amy, whatever you'd prefer." Amy's hazel eyes focused on Edi's nose before she bent over and started rummaging through the drawers next to her, "I see you've broken your nose recently, it looks like it's still painful...Aha! Here we go." The doctor's chestnut bob bounced around as she stood abruptly and handed Edi two pills with a cup of water. "Take those, they should have your nose feelin' and lookin' normal again in a few minutes."  
The young woman swallowed the pills without a second thought and offered her thanks.  
"Not a problem. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get back to those test results." With an air of urgency Amy briskly returned to her microscope and was immersed once again.

Mother and daughter casually wandered into the mess hall and sat opposite each other at the dining table, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive for their briefing. Edi leaned on an elbow and rested her head on her hand, glancing around the room.  
Shepard's sharp gaze was fixed on her daughter as she spoke, "Were you still working on the MEM project when I transferred you?"  
The Lieutenant's slightly tanned fingers started to drum against the table, "Yes. We were starting to design algorithms for other planets that would adopt the matrix. Why do you ask?" Edi's eyes narrowed and burned with a warning for Shepard to tread carefully.  
"If I had known, I mightn't of been so...forceful, about you joining my crew," Shepard said as she drew imaginary circles on the steel in front of her with a finger.  
A black pony tail swished from side to side as Edi shook her head wildly, her temper starting to break the walls of composure she had erected. It was clear her mother wasn't trying to be antagonistic but her transfer was a touchy subject.  
"That's a load of shit, Mom! You would've made me join anyway because you want me to be more like you. Nothing I've done has ever been good enough, I mean, hell, I disappointed you as soon as I exited the womb and you found out I wasn't a biotic." Her shoulders sagged as she pressed her hands against tired eyes. "Let's not talk about this now. I asked you to give me some time if you remember, so just drop it...please."  
Before her mother could voice a retort people started filing into the hall from the elevator, chatting loudly amongst themselves. Several aliens and a human flopped into the chairs situated around the table. The Spectre's eyes caught Edi's, and the young woman could see the hurt and anger swimming below the surface. Ashamed by her outburst she dropped her gaze and started fiddling with the piping on her shirt.  
Shepard's commanding voice interrupted the incessant prattle of the new comers, "Okay, listen up. First things first. This is our new infiltrator, First Lieutenant Edith Alenko. She'll be replacing Corporal Davies. So, let's go 'round the table so everyone can introduce themselves then I'll explain why shore leave was cut short." The red head pointed to the female turian seated next to Edi, "You start."  
Turning her head, Edi noticed the turian's plates were a light tan color and pale lavender colony markings streaked her mandibles and chin.  
"Major Lilicia Pardros." Her bright, amber eyes stared, unblinking, at the young Lieutenant, "I'm a sentinel and joined Captain Shepard to learn what it means to be a Spectre. On the ship, I'm in charge of the armory."  
Edi dipped her head in greeting and shifted her eyes to the two quarians beside Major Pardros. They both wore intricately designed environment suits of teal and gold. The male quarian spoke first, his voice reverberating through his helmet, "My name is Kael'Xera vas Normandy and this is my twin sister, Ari'Xera vas Normandy."  
He gestured to the female quarian next to him and her mouthpiece lit up when she started talking, "We're both combat engineers but when we aren't in the field Kael is usually in engineering and I'm on the bridge, helping Joker."  
An asari with deep blue skin and burnt orange irises was the next to introduce herself, "Hey kid, I'm Cyessa T'Gurra but just call me Cy. As ya can tell, I'm asari, so, I'm a biotic. When we're in rotation I hang out in the shuttle bay and pretend to work on stuff, but mainly I just keep Lili company."  
Edi heard a chuckle rumble from the turian beside her, "Yeah, Spirits forbid you actually have to do some work aye, Cy?" Lilicia teased and Cy just gave her the finger from across the table.  
The last team member was a well built man in his late 20's, who was chewing on gum noisily while leaning back in his chair, his legs set wide apart. She inwardly cringed as his deep-set, hazel eyes appraised her svelte figure conspicuously. He had a straight, well-proportioned nose, chiseled chin and cropped, chocolate colored hair. Most people would call him attractive but he just made Edi's skin crawl.  
"Alenko...as in Kaidan Alenko? She related to you, boss?" Asked the young man in a waggish manner that got Edi's back up.  
The Spectre didn't seem to care about his lack of formality, "Yes, she's my daughter but that doesn't mean she deserves any special treatment. Treat her as you would any other soldier."  
Arrogance oozed from the man's pores and Edi rolled her eyes. "I'm Staff Lieutenant Todd Curtis. I'm just a military issue soldier but I'm a damn good one, N7 baby." The edges of his mouth turned up to form a disturbing smile, "Out in the field I keep the enemy distracted so the likes of you can take your shot safely. On the ship I assist Shepard with her mail and shit."  
Trying to dismiss the dirty feeling she had from the man's unwanted stare, she looked around the table and gave a small smile, "I look forward to working with you all…" With a sideways glance toward Curtis she continued, "...maybe not all of you."  
The man's mouth fell open and Shepard's face resembled that of a shocked chimpanzee whose banana had just been stolen, but everyone else started laughing at his expense.  
"Oh, she's sized ya up quick Todd, don't think you'll be gettin' into her pants!" said Cy, chortling loudly.

As the laughter started to die down Garrus appeared and waltzed up to the group, standing near Shepard.  
With an absurd amount of speed Major Pardros snapped to attention and saluted, "Councillor Vakarian, sir! It's an honor to be in your presence, sir!"  
The sudden movement startled everyone at the table and Garrus' mandibles clacked against his jaw, "Um, thank you. At ease soldier."  
In her head, Edi could hear the proverbial crickets chirping as an awkward silence settled on the group. After what felt like minutes a giggle escaped from Ari'Xera and that's all it took for laughter to erupt again.  
"Got some hero worship goin' on there, Lili?" Cy asked, trying to stifle a giggle.  
Lilicia just glared at the asari, "Councillor Vakarian is a high ranking official, I was just showing him due respect!"  
Captain Shepard rose from her chair and sternly eyed everyone, "Calm down you lot." Her green eyes then fell on the Major, "Your response is commendable Lili, but you don't need to go overboard, Garrus is a friend of mine, so you can relax."  
Edi watched as Lili took her seat trying to shrink away from the stares directed her way.  
Shepard cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention, "Just in case someone wasn't paying attention, I would like to introduce Garrus Vakarian, the turian councillor. He will be with us until we reach the Citadel."  
The Councillor greeted all the team members then turned to the Spectre, "Actually, you're stuck with me for a little longer than you expected. Ah, can you and Lieutenant Alenko join me for a quick chat before you brief everyone?"

The Captain inclined her head and motioned for Garrus and Edi to follow her to the kitchen so they were out of earshot.  
"Okay Garrus, what did the Council say?" Shepard's hands were planted on her hips.  
The turian leveled a gaze at the Spectre and lowered his voice, "You're most probably not going to be happy. The other Councillor's don't want to inform the quarians that Rannoch's MEM is compromised, they're afraid the quarians will blame the krogan and retaliate, which if I'm honest, I agree with them."  
His leathery hand quickly shot up to halt both women's barrage of questions and obscenities, "Let me finish. We all agreed that the incident at Grissom is disturbing. The MEM is highly classified, no one outside the project would have knowledge of it's existence, unless, they had an inside source. Several investigations have been launched to find the leak and try to identify who sent the imposter to the Academy, so we'll see how successful that course of action is. Also, on that note," said Garrus as his icy, blue stare turned to Edi, "We need a written report detailing your encounter this morning, can you have that to me by the end of the day?"  
The young Lieutenant scratched behind her ear, nodding, "Yeah, I can do that, but what about Rannoch? Is the Council going to do anything to protect them? What did they say about the mining agreement?"  
"The other Councillor's want to assume the dispute between the krogan and quarians and the attack at Grissom Academy are just coincidence until it's proven otherwise, but we've all agreed that the Normandy needs to get to the Tikkun System as soon as possible, so, the Council want us to forgo the Citadel and head straight there." A slight grin started to appear on Garrus' face.  
Shepard leaned against the kitchen counter, her lips forming a lazy smirk, "So, you're coming along for the ride?"  
"Just like old times," replied the turian, then his brow plates dropped low and he scratched his cheek, "Maybe not quite like old times...sadly, the other Councillor's were insistent that I wasn't to join the action if there was any."  
A hearty laugh escaped from Shepard as she called Joker over the com to inform him about the change of destination.  
As Edi realized Garrus would be staying on the ship, she felt a rush of excitement spread through her. Tamping down on her feelings she tried to feign disinterest and leaned against the counter by her mother, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her pants. When she looked up, piercing, blue eyes stared back and she shivered a little, breaking the eye contact. Her cheeks started to flush and the young woman hoped that no one noticed.  
When Shepard ended her call to Joker the Councillor proceeded to explain what they would do once in the system, "Surprisingly, Urdnot Mordin has managed to convince Emperor Urdnot Tavek to be diplomatic. So, he'll be meeting us near the asteroid in question, with his entourage of course. We hoped to be able to hold a conference between him and the Admiralty Board here, on the Normandy, seeing as it's neutral ground. What do you think, Shepard?"  
Red strands of hair bounced up and down as the Captain bobbed her head, "That sounds like a plan. Hopefully we can get those guys to play nice in their shared sandbox and find out what's going on."

They were interrupted by Curtis, who had stopped chewing his gum long enough to loudly ask, "Boss, you going to fill us in anytime soon?"  
Shepard made her way back to the table and Edi shook her head at the soldier's lack of patience. She stepped away and began to follow when she felt a large, three fingered hand brush against her back.  
"I look forward to receiving that report later, Lieutenant," Garrus whispered close to her ear as he walked behind her, towards his room.  
Her skin continued to tingle from the contact as she floated back to the group and dropped down in her seat, not really listening to her mother explain the latest galactic affairs to the rest of the team.

Eventually Shepard dismissed the group and, with Edi in tow, headed to the elevator.  
"When we are on the ship everyone has a role. Your station will be in the tech lab on the engineering deck. Follow me." Shepard was short and to the point.  
Edi could tell that her mother was still annoyed by the failed attempt at a civil conversation earlier, but the urge to apologize eluded her.  
Not saying a word to each other they arrived at the tech lab. The Captain explained that the ship worked on two, 12 hour cycles; Alpha and Beta shift. The ground team was part of the Alpha shift. Beta shift consisted of a skeleton crew, only the essential positions were manned during the night.

Once Shepard left, Edi carefully examined the equipment and was impressed. She then noticed a cot in the far corner of the room, and was a little confused by it's presence. Deciding it didn't really matter, she took a seat and grabbed a pad so she could type out the events that transpired earlier in the day. Finished with that task she got to work on an idea that she had for a new incinerate program, trying to keep her mind off a certain turian.

* * *

With a tray of food she had appropriated from the kitchen in hand, she discreetly made her way to Garrus' room and knocked on the door. Seconds passed before there was a swishing noise and a tall turian stood in front of her. His mandibles flared widely and he gestured for her to enter.  
"Oh, you lovely woman, how did you know I was starving?" Garrus grabbed the tray from Edi and placed it on the table by the couch.  
She laughed and took a seat next him, "Well, I figured you'd be like me, I tend to forget meals when I'm busy. Also, I, um, thought we could have dinner together." She nervously tapped the pad she was holding against her thigh, "Oh, and here's the report."  
Delicious smells permeated the air as taloned hands set out the plates and various cutlery. Garrus then shifted his eyes to look upon Edi and grabbed the pad from her, casually throwing it in the direction of the desk.  
"Thank you," he purred before he leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. The tip of his tongue flicked against her top lip and in response she opened her mouth, leaning into the kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck and a nimble hand started to rub the soft skin under his fringe. Garrus moaned in pleasure before breaking the kiss, "Ah, I've been wanting to do that all day, but we better stop before I forget about the food completely."  
Feeling a bit giddy, Edi released her hold on his neck and made a small coughing noise, "Ah, yeah...right, dinner."

When they finished their meal, Garrus reclined and stretched his arm along the back of the couch. Edi accepted the invitation and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. As his heartbeat thrummed an unrecognizable pattern, her mind wandered back to the kiss they had shared, "Um, who taught you to kiss like that? Because I'm pretty sure that's not how turians do it."  
A hum vibrated through him in response, "Correct, the lack of lips makes kissing a tad difficult, so we just touch foreheads to show affection, but being married to a quarian plus having dated several asari taught me to adapt."  
"Ah, I see," was all that Edi said in reply.  
She wanted to ask about his ex-wife but wasn't sure how to broach the subject. They had only met 24 hours ago, so it wasn't really her place to pry into his relationship history, but she couldn't shake the nagging voice in the back of her head, pushing for her to just blurt the question out.  
Before she could stick her foot in her mouth, she was distracted by Garrus as he leisurely draped his arm over her, and started to draw little patterns on her forearm.  
"Your parents talked about Tali, right?"  
Her face rubbed up and down, brushing against his chest in the affirmative, "Yeah...is Tali your ex-wife?"  
"Mhmm. We were together for 16 years."  
"What went wrong?" As soon as the question slipped out of her mouth, she regretted it and started to worry her lower lip, "Oh my God, that's none of my business, sorry! I mean, we, ah, haven't known each other long...and I'm just being nosey," her hand started picking at an invisible thread on her pants, "Oh, just forget I asked...so, ah, I was working on a new incinerate-"  
The raven haired woman paused when the turian's upper body started bouncing and a throaty, flanging chuckle filled the room, "There you go with the smooth subject change again," he said and Edi just scowled at him so he pressed on, "It's true, we've only been acquainted since last night, but one of the ways you get to know someone is by asking questions, so don't feel bad."  
Garrus' words made Edi feel a little better and she snuggled deeper into his warmth, "That was still a shitty question for me to ask though, I'm sorry."  
"Don't worry so much, the divorce was nine years ago, Edi. I'm fine."  
They were both quiet for a few moments, listening to the sound of each others breathing and the hum of the Normandy's engines.  
"We just drifted apart," said Garrus.  
"Ah. Was it because of work? I'm sure being a Councillor takes up a lot of your time"  
She felt him nod, "That was part of it. Also, Tali's the quarian ambassador, so that was the other part. Dinner dates and anniversaries went by the wayside and eventually she met someone else, so, we divorced. It was an amicable separation and I see her at work from time to time."  
Edi shifted so she could sit up and face him. Her hand reached out, cupping the side of his face and his eyelids fluttered as he leaned into the touch, "Thank you for sharing that. It may be nine years ago, but things like that are hard to talk about, no matter how much time has passed," Edi's voice was gentle and hushed.  
Three fingers entwined with hers as he tilted his head and kissed the inside of her hand, "You're beautiful, intelligent and wise beyond your years. Do you have any faults?"  
"You haven't seen me attempt to cook yet," Edi said, the corner's of her lips curling up to form a cheeky smile.  
Garrus laughed and pulled her towards him. She squeaked in surprise and straddled his lap, a shiver running through her body as his strong arms wrapped around her waist.  
His voice assaulted her ears, beautiful and alluring, "I'm curious, have you ever been with another species?"  
"Um, yes, if having a fling with an asari during college counts...You're, um, my first turian though. I can't say I've found turians attractive before now," she replied, dipping her head, trying to hide the blush creeping across her face as she realized how that must have sounded.  
_This is ridiculous, I'm blushing like a virginal teenager, _she inhaled deeply through her nose to try and calm herself. Garrus' scent intruded upon her consciousness. He smelled unfamiliar but not, similar to coffee grounds, spicy and bitter. Something about the smell sent a jolt through her body and her gut felt like it wanted to jump into the air and do somersaults. _Oh boy, I have it bad...get a grip woman!_  
"It's most probably the voice that did it for you," Garrus said as his right mandible flared in a smirk.  
The young woman jerked her head up and stared intently at the turian, "It's not just that...granted, you do have an irresistibly sexy voice."  
He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck as his tongue licked along her ear, "Is that so?"  
In response Edi impulsively ground her hips against him and gasped when she felt his lower plates shift beneath her, "Mmm, I know enough about turian physiology to understand what that means."  
They were both breathing heavily, the sexual tension running rampant between them as she brushed her lips against his mouth plates and their tongues entwined.  
A loud knock on the door made them both jump, and Edi scrambled off his lap. A growl emanated from deep within Garrus' chest as he stood up, checking his tunic and pants to make sure it didn't look like he had just been making out on the couch. Edi also checked herself, running a hand along her hair to make sure her pony tail was still in place. She started to stack their used plates back on the tray when Garrus opened the door to reveal Major Pardros.  
"Good evening, sir. I was wondering if you had a few moments to talk about my Spectre training," said the female turian. When Lili heard the clanking of cutlery she peered inside the room and her eyes widened, "Oh, um, I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to interrupt-"  
Picking the tray up, Edi walked towards the door, "You didn't interrupt, Lili, I was just leaving." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Garrus' shoulders deflate and her lips curled into a smile.  
"Oh, okay." Lili rubbed the back of her neck and entered the room when the Councillor stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. Garrus' eyes then caught Edi's, and the look they shared sent a flame of arousal burning through her.  
"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Garrus, then he leaned closer and his voice lowered, "I promise we'll continue our, ah, conversation, very soon."  
"I'll hold you to that," the lieutenant whispered. Exiting the room, she looked back over her shoulder, "Good night, Councillor," she said, making sure to swing her hips as she walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter. Just a quick thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews, they give me the warm and fuzzies :) Please, feel free to review.

* * *

Chapter Six

The Normandy had spent the last two days bouncing from relay to relay, and was now only 17 hours and one relay jump away from the Tikkun System.  
Edi was busy in the tech lab, her nimble fingers fiddling with the most recent modification she had designed for her sniper rifle. The door opened automatically as Cy, the asari team member, wandered in.  
"Hey newbie, whatcha up to?"

Placing the rifle scope down on the bench, Edi swiveled her stool to face the other woman. Cy was leaning over and peering at a dismantled shotgun barrel as her blue finger reached out and poked at it.  
The Lieutenant shook her head, the corners of her mouth upturning to form a smirk, "Just working on some rifle mods. What are you doing up in my neck of the woods, you know, other than playing with random shit on the workbench?"  
"Oh, right," Cy retracted her finger, "Actually, Shepard asked me to grab ya and drag ya down to the shuttle bay for some sparring."  
"Sparring?" asked Edi, one of her dark eyebrows raising in question.  
"Yeah, we get together about twice a week. Plus, we all wanna see how the new girl does, so today's gonna be extra fun!"  
Cy reached out and grasped Edi's arm, making the woman slide off her stool to follow.

The two women made their way down to shuttle bay where mats were laid out to form the sparring area. The rest of the team were already there, lounging on the floor at the Captains feet. Edi had to suppress a grin that was wanting to form when her eyes fell on Garrus, who was standing next to Shepard. He was wearing a skin tight, navy suit and the young woman resisted letting her gaze wander too much. Apart from the occasional brief touches and shared looks in passing, this was the first time they had been in each others company for more than a few moments since their shared dinner.  
"Glad you finally made it," Shepard said with a hint of annoyance and Cy mumbled an apology. "Okay, this is how it's gonna go. Lili and Garrus will be up first. Then Cy will be testing out Edi, so we can see where she'll need practice."  
"Why's Cy get all the fun?" asked Staff Lieutenant Curtis. Edi could feel his intent gaze appraising her body and quickly crossed her arms over her chest.  
The asari spoke up before the Captain could answer, "Coz Shepard doesn't want your creepy ass getting kicked in the nuts and laid up in the infirmary when we have a mission coming up."  
Shepard sent a glare in Cy's direction but otherwise ignored the interruption, "Todd, you get to have another try at beating me instead." That seemed to put a cocky smile on the young man's face, so the Captain continued, "Let's go over the rules again. There's no biotics or tech allowed, just hand to hand combat. If you are pinned for five seconds or concede, you lose the match. Ari and Kael will take turns refereeing. Any questions?"  
The group shook their heads and walked over to the matted area, settling in to watch the upcoming fight. Garrus and Lili stretched for a few minutes before taking their positions. Kael signalled for the fight to start and the rest of the team observed as the turians circled each other, taking their time, both trying to size up their opponent. Lili rushed Garrus and landed several punches to his midsection but he quickly sidestepped and danced around her. Edi could tell his strategy was to tire the other turian and stay out of her range. His long limbs gave him an edge against his adversary but Lili kept controlling the distance, using his advantage against him by stepping inside his reach. It was a well matched fight and Edi had to admit she enjoyed watching Garrus' lithe form float around the ring.

"Ya know, this is like foreplay for turians," Cy said, drawing Edi's attention away from the action in front of her.  
The young woman's jaw dropped and her eyes widened, "What?"  
The asari nodded her head towards the scrapping turians, "Sparring's like foreplay to them, and that Mr. Councillor is one hunky guy that's for sure, no wonder Lili's got her wicked eye on him." Cy gave the young woman standing next to her a sidelong glance and seemed to be trying to gauge Edi's response.

The Lieutenant had a feeling she was being baited but couldn't stop her reaction. Her jaw tensed as she started to grind her teeth, her eyes intently staring at the turians shuffling back and forth around the blue mats on the floor. From what Edi could remember learning in her Xenobiology class, Cy was right, fighting was like an aphrodisiac for turians. Lili was using her turian wiles to flirt with Garrus. _He's my turian, damn it!  
_A flash of unbidden jealousy slithered through her and she balled her hands into fists causing her nails to dig into flesh. After a moment Edi wrestled back the awful emotion and inhaled deeply. _Okay, that reaction was a little overboard, what the fuck is wrong with me?_

Edi was startled from her inner turmoil by Cy's quiet laugh, "Wow, your response told me all I needed to know." A blue hand reached out and patted the young woman on the shoulder, "No need to get riled up babe, I don't think he's interested in her."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"She's practically throwing herself at him but he's not taking the bait. I'm 473 years old and been with my fair share of turians, I know what I'm talkin' bout."  
Releasing a long sigh, Edi scratched behind her ear and looked down at her feet, "I've never been the jealous type, I don't know why this is getting under my skin."  
"I'd say it's coz you're falling for him. Hard."  
The Lieutenant brought her hands up and covered her face, shaking her head. She let out a pained groan and Cy gave her a sympathetic look.  
"I've been watchin' him over the last few days and noticed he only has eyes for you, so, I'd say you're both smitten, honey. Lili will be crushed when she figures it out." Cy's orange eyes took in the fight in front of them, "It looks like those two are gettin' tired, we'll be up soon."

Edi glanced in the same direction and had to agree with her friends assessment, their pace was slower as they circled each other once again. She watched as Garrus feigned a right swing, quickly crouching when Lili stepped forward to block. This caused the Major to become unbalanced as he swept a leg out to knock her off her feet. She fell and landed face down on the floor. With swift motions, Garrus grabbed both her arms and jammed them behind her back.  
A growl resounded through the bay as Lili conceded and the quarian signalled the end of the match. The Councillor helped the female turian up, shaking her hand and murmuring something that Edi couldn't understand as they exited the ring.

Shepard snapped her fingers, catching Edi's attention, "You're up. Don't let me down, Lieutenant."  
Rolling her eyes in response to her mother's version of support, she followed Cy's example, and started to get ready. Stripping off her Battle Dress Uniform shirt and combat boots, she was left wearing her Alliance issue tank top and pants.

Ari'Xera walked up to them as they finished their stretches and signalled for the two women to take their positions. Edi zoned out the sound of the other team members chatting on the sidelines, devoting all her concentration to appraising the asari in front of her.  
"I'll try not to embarrass ya too much in front of your boyfriend," said Cy as she got on the balls of her feet and started bouncing from side to side.  
Edi's lip curled into a sneer, "Verbally trying to unsettle me's not going to work, Cy."  
A distorted voice signalled for them to begin and after circling each other for a few moments they both launched an attack. Punches and kicks were dealt with acute precision, both women agile and strategically ferocious.

Five rounds passed and neither one was willing to give their opponent an edge. The Lieutenant had to admit she was impressed. If Cy was this good without biotics at her disposal, Edi could only imagine what she was capable of with them. _Thank God she's on our side.  
_Practically dancing around the asari, Edi noticed her friend was showing signs of fatigue. Cy's punches were starting to lose their bite and she kept distancing herself. Edi's own reflexes were becoming sluggish but she had one last tactic in her toolbox.  
"You're starting to slip up, Cy," Edi said between puffs of breath. As she spoke, the young woman made sure to open up her stance.  
"Yeah, so are you," replied the asari as she took the invitation and tried to deliver a swift kick, aimed at Edi's head.  
With one last surge of energy, the Lieutenant caught the incoming foot and torqued it clockwise, forcing Cy to lose balance and fall. Instantly straddling her opponent, Edi pinned Cy's shoulders to the floor. After five seconds, Ari declared the winner and Edi offered her hand to the smiling woman below her.  
Getting to her feet, Cy caught her breath and slapped Edi on the shoulder, "Well played, Alenko."  
"Thanks," responded Edi, grabbing her shirt and boots.  
The familiar voice of her mother came up beside her, "Not bad, Lieutenant Alenko." Long fingers wrapped around Edi's wrist and squeezed slightly as the Spectre brushed passed to prepare for her own match.

Mildly surprised by Shepard's show of affection, Edi looked over at the cheering group and the muscles in her face formed a smile on their own accord when her eyes fell on the tall and handsome turian. The skin around Garrus' eyes was crinkled around the edges and his mandibles were slightly flared as she made her way toward him.  
He dipped his head in greeting, "That was impressive, Lieutenant."  
"You weren't too bad yourself, Councillor." She noticed he had a few bruises on his neck where Lili had landed a good kick, "Although, you seem to be a bit worse for wear."  
Her comment was rewarded with throaty chuckle, "You're one to talk. Bruises will start appearing in a few minutes, you'll see."

The two stood in companionable silence, watching the match between the two N7's play out, when Edi's shoulder casually brushed against the turians arm and she grit her teeth, "Ow, damn." She inspected the side of her arm, "That's gonna be nice and purple in a few hours."  
Garrus glanced over and saw the bright red mark she was referring to and cringed when he observed the shade of blue that was starting to appear, "Told you. I think we're both going to need that bruise-inhibiting salve from Doctor Gillette."  
"Sounds like a good idea." Edi turned and leaned a little closer, her voice hushed, "Are you going to help me with those hard to reach places?"  
"Only if you help with mine," Garrus replied, his dual tones resonating sensuously.

Ever since they fooled around on his couch, her libido had been in overdrive, and the innuendo of their current conversation made her last shred of control snap. The sexual frustration came over her in waves, and she crossed her arms to prevent herself from reaching for him, "I can't take this anymore! We are locking ourselves in your room as soon as we're done here."  
"Hmm, I like the sound of that." Garrus' icy gaze made her stomach clench in anticipation of what was to come.  
With a quick glance toward the sparring area, Edi saw her mother throw the overconfident marine to the ground, pinning him in place as he struggled._ Hurry up and kick his ass, Mom! I'm on a promise._

The sound of footsteps approaching signalled a possible interruption and Edi jerked her head towards the incoming annoyance. It was a struggle, but she managed not to groan when Major Pardros came to stand on the other side of Garrus.  
Lili nodded in Garrus' direction, "Councillor Vakarian," pitching forward slightly she looked over at Edi, "Lieutenant Alenko," she said in greeting.  
"Ah, Lili, remember? I told you to call me Garrus, no need for formalities."  
"Thank you...Garrus," said Lili, her neck turning slightly blue as she blushed.  
Edi tried to hold back the spark of jealousy that threatened to engulf her and acknowledged the Major, "Same goes for me, Lili. Just call me Edi, we are team mates after all."  
With just a nod in response to Edi, the female turian's attention went back to Garrus, "I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to assess my sparring abilities."  
"Not a problem. I haven't fought an opponent as skilled as you in quite some time, it was fun to let loose."

Not sure whether he was deliberately flirting with the other turian or if it was her jealousy fueled mind screwing with her, Edi just stood there, staring straight ahead at the ring. She was surprised when she noticed Shepard and Curtis were still grappling with each other, and prayed, to whatever deity was listening, that the match would finish soon.

"Council...ah, I mean Garrus, I was wondering if we could meet up after this and go over my performance. I'd like to know what improvements you think I could make."  
Edi stiffened at Lili's request and listened intently for the Councillor's response.  
"Um, well, I have a few reports that I need to go through before-"  
Words rushed out of Lili's mouth as her hand rested on his arm, interrupting him before he could finish, "I won't take much of your time, I promise."  
To prevent herself from screaming at the intrusive Major, Edi bit the inside of her cheek to the point of drawing blood.  
Using his hand that was not in the possession of a flirty turian, Garrus rubbed the back of his neck and his mandibles fluttered, "Oh, well, I suppose that I can spare a few minutes."  
Garrus turned his head and his eyes shot an apology at Edi but she didn't notice. Her hearing went dull and her heart felt like it had dropped onto the ground. Unable to process her roiling emotions and starting to feel lightheaded, she gave the two turians standing next to her a sidelong glance, "Um, I just remembered that I have some time critical calculations that need my attention, excuse me."  
Without waiting for their perfunctory questions, Edi nearly broke into a run as she darted for the elevator.

* * *

To say he was confused by Edi's hasty retreat from the shuttle bay was an understatement. One moment she was ready to rip his clothes off and then the next thing he knew, she had come up with some random excuse and bolted.

When Shepard had finally managed to beat the rather cocky Staff Lieutenant Curtis, she had questioned Garrus about her daughter's unexpected exit. He explained that Lieutenant Alenko had some important work that she needed to attend to. The Spectre's features announced her skepticism, but she just nodded and moved on to talk with her team.

Garrus returned to his suite to shower and change, all the while trying to figure out what had caused the raven haired woman's change of mood. Going over their conversation several times in his head, he came up with nothing. Donning a clean suit and heading for the door to find her, the Councillor came face to face with Lili, who was standing expectantly in front of his room.  
Suppressing a groan as he remembered agreeing to meet with the woman, he invited her in, "Ah, Lili. Take a seat."  
The female turian wandered over to the couch and sat, primly, on the edge of the cushion, "I appreciate you taking the time to see me, I know you're busy."  
Forgoing the couch, Garrus leaned against the window so he was facing her, "It's not a problem, although I'm not sure what I can tell you that Shepard can't."

"Actually, I have a confession to make. I wasn't completely honest with you, I'm really here for another reason." A light, sultry chuckle resonated from her as she stood and swaggered toward him. One of her gloved fingers reached out and stroked the front of his black tunic, following the seam down to his waist, "I like your company, Garrus. We should get to know each other better." The Major's amber eyes swept over Garrus' body and he cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably under her predatory gaze.

Slightly taken aback by this new development, his mind started rewinding snippets of memories. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, he mentally slapped himself as he realized Lili had been flirting with him the whole time.  
When she had unknowingly disturbed his time with Edi the other night, to discuss her Spectre training, she had been sending him signals, hinting at her attraction. So caught up with his feelings for Edi though, he hadn't even noticed. It happened again while they were sparring, her subvocals had been practically screaming her arousal, and yet he still hadn't figured it out.  
_I'm an idiot! A universal dumb ass. Spirits, what must Edi think? Crap._

Pushing away from the window, he straightened to his full height causing her to retreat slightly, "Umm, Lil-Major Pardros, I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong idea. I'm not interested in you, ah...that way." Rubbing the back of his neck, he continued, "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression."  
Lili's mandibles drooped as her lower jaw became slack. After an awkward silence she collected herself, her mask of professionalism falling in place, "I see. Excuse me, Councillor Vakarian."  
The Major turned on her heel and promptly exited the room, leaving Garrus relieved that she hadn't reacted with violence like some females of his species did when rejected.

Breathing deeply, he left and walked briskly in the direction of the elevator. Tapping his booted foot during the ride down to engineering, he realized the Alliance hadn't made the elevator fast enough. Finally standing in front of the tech lab, he stared at the red, glowing lock. He knocked but there was no answer. His head banged on the cool metal as he leaned forward, "Edi, it's me. Please open the door."  
After what felt like minutes, Garrus nearly lost his balance when the door his head was resting on, swished open. His eyes took in the image of Edi's back as she shuffled bits and pieces around the bench and he crept into the lab.

"What can I do for you, Councillor?"  
Garrus winced at the use of his title, "Edi, I can understand why you're pissed off, but let me explain."  
"There's nothing to explain, Garrus." Her arms braced against the metal bench as she exhaled, "I mean, of course you would be interested in the attractive, young turian that's practically throwing herself at you."  
With a couple of steps he was standing right behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and gently turned her so she was facing him. The emerald green eyes that had entranced him that night on Elysium were bloodshot and he brought his hands up to her face, sweeping his thumbs along her tear stained cheeks.  
"Edi, I'm not interested in the attractive, young turian that's practically throwing herself at me." She turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact and he shifted his face back into her line of sight, "But, I am completely enamored with the beautiful, young, intelligent, occasionally awkward human standing in front of me."

Garrus could feel the tension leave her taut muscles and he brushed his forehead against hers.  
Edi increased the pressure, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'm sorry for becoming the green-eyed monster, I'm not usually this emotional."  
"Umm, I think my translator missed that one."  
Her chuckle vibrated through him, "It means I was jealous."  
"Ah, I see." He leaned back so he could look into her eyes again, "Don't be sorry, Edi. You had every right to feel threatened. I'm sorry for not telling Major Pardros that I wasn't attracted to her sooner." Removing his hands from her face, he reached behind her head and carefully released her hair from the customary ponytail she wore while on duty. The black tresses cascaded down her back and he twirled a few strands around his fingers, "Truthfully, I had no idea she was flirting with me, I was much too preoccupied with you."  
Deft hands with five fingers began to undo his tunic and he released a soft growl in excitement. He slowly slid his hands down her waist and thighs. Grabbing her ass he lifted her onto the bench which elicited a gasp from Edi. A small moan escaped her lips as he nestled himself between her legs and his hands started to remove her shirt.  
"I'm going to explode if we don't get to finish what we're starting, Garrus," said Edi, as she kissed along his scarred mandible.  
Garrus dropped her shirt to the floor, "Mmm, I can make sure that doesn't happen." Leaning over to tap a few keys on the terminal next to them, he locked the door, "No more interruptions."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Dear readers, I hope you enjoy this installment. Feel free to follow, fave or review, they give me the warm and fuzzies :) Also, a special thanks to Musicalrain for agreeing to be my beta reader and helping me improve this chapter! And one more thing, time isn't as abundant as it once was, so, I will most probably be updating about every two weeks now, instead of every week.

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Chapter Seven

With reluctance, Garrus activated his omnitool and checked the time. Alpha shift would be starting soon, and in a few hours the ship was due to arrive at their destination. Looking down at the naked woman sleeping next to him, Garrus gently brushed a lock of hair from her face. The action caused her to stir and green eyes fluttered.  
Garrus nuzzled her neck, "Good morning."  
"Morning." Edi's lips curled into a lazy smile as she brought her long arms above her head and stretched.  
Mesmerized by the taut muscles moving under lightly tanned skin, Garrus made a quiet growl and pulled her against him. "You're a tease."  
"You're not much better," she said and shifted against the naturally plated leg that was now pressed between her thighs.  
He brushed his mouth against her lips then disentangled himself from the beautiful human, "Mmm, as much as I'd love to keep exploring your body, we have to get up. Today's the day we get to deal with pissed off krogan and annoyed quarians."  
The young woman groaned in response, rolling onto her stomach and shoving her head into the pillow.  
A deep chuckle filled the room as Garrus rose up and grabbed his clothes that were strewn about the floor. His bruised and aching body protested as he got dressed, "That sparring match yesterday combined with our extracurricular activities last night have made me realize I'm getting old. Damn. Muscles that I didn't even know I had are sore."  
Slim arms circled his waist as Edi came up behind him, "You're not old, just out of practice."  
"Aha, and I suppose you're going to help me get into shape?" Garrus turned in her arms and rested his forehead against hers, sliding his taloned fingers through her hair.  
"I'm more than happy to help," Edi replied.  
"Glad to hear it."  
Releasing her hold, Edi grabbed a change of clothes and a couple of towels from a cupboard on the wall. With a smirk she wrapped a towel around her body and punched in the code to unlock the door, "Figured I'd use the showers down here, don't want to disturb the sleeping crew." She threw another towel at Garrus, "Care to join me?"  
Raising his brow plates he followed her down the hall, "What if someone catches us?"  
Edi shrugged her shoulders, "Most of the crew are still asleep, it's only Beta shift at the moment and the two engineers stationed down here are both men, so the women's bathroom is safe. Plus, I can program the lock just to be extra careful."  
They entered the bathroom and locked the door. As he watched Edi's towel drop to the floor any hesitation he had about being found in a compromising situation flew out the window, and he stripped, stepping into the shower to join her.

A glorious shower and change of clothes later, Garrus sat at one of the dining tables in the mess hall. Several crew members from the Alpha shift collected their breakfast from the kitchen, and mumbled a few greetings to him as they gathered at the other end of the table. Sighing as he took a sip of hot kahvi, he nonchalantly scrolled through the latest report from his fellow councillors and caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Glancing over the pad, he observed Edi as she poured herself a glass of orange colored liquid and made her way towards the table, taking a seat across from him. Garrus couldn't help his eyes from wandering down her body to admire her curves as she crossed one leg over the other. A small cough caught his attention and Edi's eyes were shimmering with mirth.  
"Good morning, Councillor Vakarian."  
"Good morning, Lieutenant."  
Green eyes met blue and the look lingered. His mind started to replay excerpts of their shared night, like it had recorded the whole experience in high definition. A warm tingling pervaded his body and he felt his mandibles spread wide in what was sure to be a goofy expression.  
A voice coming from Edi's left jarred them back to reality, "Hey, you two love birds need to get a room, all this goo goo eyes shit is gonna make me barf!"  
"Shut up, Cy," said Edi, punching the asari in the shoulder.  
Cy hissed through clenched teeth and glared at the young Lieutenant, "Fuck, Alenko. I've got a bruise the size of Nos Astra there thanks to you."  
"Good. You deserve it for being a smart ass," Edi bit back.  
Sending a glance in Garrus' direction, Cy sniggered, "You like 'em fiery don't ya?"  
"Makes things more interesting." The turian swallowed the rest of his drink, "Wait, you know about us?" he said, waving his hand between himself and Edi.  
Raising a painted on eyebrow, Cy gave him a look that seemed to question his intelligence, "Ah, yeah. I'm not blind. You guys are sending all kinds of signals, like the one right now, screamin' that you bonked each other last night."  
Once again, Edi smacked her friend's shoulder, "You're only assuming that because I didn't sleep in the crew quarters last night."  
"That, and I know how to read people. Like, for instance, when Lili came storming into the room last night, I could tell she had just been given the brush off by Mr. tall, dark and turian over here."  
Garrus rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, "Are we going to have issues with her?"  
The asari's expression was thoughtful, "When she finds out you're screwing a human instead of her? Yeah, she's gonna be pissed, but she won't do anything. Lili might give Edi the cold shoulder but she won't let it affect the mission." Massaging her sore muscle, Cy rolled her shoulder, trying to release the tension, "I take it Shep doesn't know yet."  
Edi scratched behind her ear and shook her head mildly, "To my knowledge you're the only person who does."  
"On a ship this size, Alenko? Not a chance," Cy scoffed and eyed the murmuring crew members a few seats down, "There are already rumors and it's only a matter of time before the whole crew knows, including your mom."  
The lines around Edi's eyes became more pronounced as she squinted, and she started worrying her lower lip. Garrus couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like she was hesitant about people finding out they were in a relationship. Figuring now was not the time to question her about it, he stood up, "We'll be arriving in the Tikkun system soon, I better go and find Shepard."  
Collecting his pad he walked towards the elevator, all the while trying to clear his head and concentrate on the political shit storm they were about to enter.

Several hours later the Normandy was orbiting the contested asteroid in the Tikkun system. Captain Shepard and Garrus were standing on the bridge, hovering just behind Joker. A dreadnaught class ship flew beside the Alliance frigate, dwarfing the Normandy.  
"Shit, krogan don't mess around, huh?" Joker said, pulling his cap off to angle his head up, allowing himself a better look.  
Garrus walked up to the side window, marveling at the giant. The 'Maka Sichu' was the flagship of the Krogan fleet, commissioned not long after the Reaper Wars. It's aim was to showcase the power of the now space faring krogan, and it did just that.  
"Look at the size of that main gun!"  
Shepard rose an eyebrow, "Garrus, really? You still get that excited about guns?"  
"You know me and my guns, Shepard," the turian replied, not bothering to look away from the impressive display.  
Shaking his head, Joker glanced down at the blinking light on his board, "Captain, Emperor Urdnot Tavek is requesting permission for himself and his advisor to come aboard."  
"Permission granted," replied Shepard.  
The Maka Sichu's docking tube shot out and attached to the Normandy. Once sealed, the airlock hissed opened to reveal several armored krogan. The Councillor and the Captain stood at attention before bowing from the waist, and the Emperor stared intently at the two aliens before dipping his head.  
There was a low, rumbling growl as one of the security guards was shoved to the side, "No need for this formal bullshit." A familiar krogan appeared next to Tavek, "Shepard! Garrus! It's been a while."  
Shepard was the first to move toward the old krogan, "Wrex! How the hell have you been?"  
"Good. Bakara and the brood are doing well and I've been busy trying to keep our illustrious leader from starting a damn war," said Wrex, shaking the Spectre's hand before turning to Garrus, "Ah, Garrus. I suppose it's good to see you too." The krogan chuckled and slapped the turian on the shoulder.  
Emperor Tavek stepped forward, "Councillor Vakarian. I'm surprised you're here."  
Expecting the question but not liking the tone, Garrus placed his hands behind his back and tightened his jaw, causing his mandibles to compress against the sides of his mouth, "I was scheduled to depart the ship when it docked at the Citadel, but due to the urgency of the situation it was decided the Normandy's presence was needed in the Tikkun system immediately, so we were diverted."  
Tavek's lip curled, "I see. I'm not sure how I feel about the turian councillor interfering with krogan business."  
"Need I remind you that both the quarian's and krogan are Citadel species and have been for the last 20 years." Garrus' hands clenched and he rose to his full height, "Both species have representatives on the Citadel and brought this issue to the Council's attention, therefore the mining treaty in question is council business."  
To Garrus' surprise, Wrex walked up to the now growling Emperor and head butted him, "Back down Tavek and show some respect. You may be Emperor of Tuchanka and her colonies but that means squat to the other species. Councillor Vakarian is just as important as you, if not more so. Remember that, whelp."  
Stumbling backwards, Tavek rubbed the edge of his teal colored crest.  
Trying to prevent his features from showing his pleasure from watching the uppity krogan get put in his place, Garrus covered his mouth and coughed. Attention was brought back to him and his mandibles fluttered, "Now that we all understand why I'm present, let's continue with the pleasantries." He gestured toward Shepard, "May I introduce Captain Jane Shepard, Council Spectre." His eyes met Shepard's as he continued, "Captain, this is his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Urdnot Tavek."  
The Emperor's blood red eyes widened to the size of saucers when it dawned on him who the woman was. He quickly recovered when Wrex nudged him and he took another step toward the Spectre, enthusiastically shaking her hand, "You're Captain Shepard? It is an honor to finally meet the hero who cured our people."  
Obviously Tavek didn't realize Garrus was there with Shepard the day the genophage was cured, or maybe it was because he was turian that the krogan leader disliked him. The hate between both species had dulled to a tenuous civility since the Reaper Wars, but there was still animosity that was quick to surface when provoked.  
"Thank you, and please, just call me Shepard." Tavek released her hand and the Spectre opened and closed it a few times, trying to encourage blood to circulate through the appendage once more.  
The tension and formality from only a few moments earlier dissipated and Tavek grinned, "Sure thing, Shepard. Wrex is right, this formal crap isn't needed, call me Tavek." A quick glare was aimed at Garrus, "Same goes for you too, I suppose."  
With a motion of her hand, Shepard called Curtis over, "Can you give these gentlemen a tour of the ship while we wait for the Admirals? Meet us in the conference room when you're finished, thank you."  
Wrex and Tavek dismissed the security detail that had escorted them onto the ship and followed the confident marine, laughing with the man as they entered the elevator and disappeared.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as it could've been," said Garrus, releasing a long breath.  
A scarred hand squeezed his shoulder, "I thought you were about to become a turian smear for a while there. Thank God Wrex saved your ass."  
Laughing erupted from the cockpit and Garrus huffed, "Shut up, Joker!"  
The pilot turned his seat to face the Councillor, "I'm sorry man, but the Emperor really doesn't seem to like you."  
"That would be because he doesn't. Never has and never will. The feeling's mutual." He brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck, "I really wish Wrex hadn't retired from leadership. His nephew is a pain in the ass."  
The corner of Shepard's mouth quirked, "Ah, Tavek doesn't seem to be that bad and it looks like Wrex is kinda grooming him. I mean, look at the progress you two made in just a few moments, he gave you permission to call him by his name."  
"Right, we're on our way to being best friends," said Garrus with a snort and the pair left Joker, making their way to the shuttle bay to await the quarians arrival.

Everyone convened in the conference room, all five quarian admirals on one side with Wrex and Tavek on the other. Garrus and Shepard were at either end of the table, their eyes shifting anxiously between the two species.  
"Alright, let's sort this mess out. Do you have your copies-"  
Tali'Zorah quickly interrupted Shepard mid sentence, "I'm sorry Shepard, but we are not proceeding until the krogan have ordered their ground team to stand down."  
A confused expression appeared on Garrus face, "Ah, Tali? What are you talking about?"  
"His Imperial Majesty here has an assault team threatening our squad holding position on the asteroid."  
"Why do either of you have squads down there?" Annoyance crept into Shepard's words as she spoke.  
The quarian released a sigh, "When we asked the mining team to cease they refused, and a krogan assault team was sent to protect them." Tali air quoted the last two words, "In response to the threat we dispatched our own squad to defend our assets, but now both teams are on edge and it's only a matter of time before someone takes the first shot."  
Garrus crossed his arms and watched Shepard's reaction. He could tell she was losing patience and so was he, how stupid could both parties be?  
"So, you both have ground teams on the asteroid just waiting for the chance to shoot each other?" asked the redheaded Spectre as she looked between the two species. "And you thought this was an intelligent way of dealing with the situation? All in reaction to disputed mining rights? This is ridiculous." Shepard ran a hand through her short hair and looked to the ceiling.  
"I have to agree, and I suggest a shuttle be sent to collect every single krogan and quarian on that asteroid before this turns into a bigger mess than it already is," Garrus added.  
A clash of voices engulfed the room as both sides of the table spouted arguments and insults.

"ENOUGH!" a reverberating voice echoed and everyone turned to look at the quarian who yelled the command. Admiral Zaal'Koris continued once he had everyone's attention, "Thank you. Now, I agree with both Councillor Vakarian and Captain Shepard, we need to resolve this amicably. To do so requires us to evacuate our squads and I am more than willing to send the order on our end, what about you, Emperor?"  
Taking a moment to rub his chin, Tavek nodded, "I agree." The krogan turned to face his mentor, "Wrex, send a shuttle to retrieve our men, the miners included."  
An orange glow emitted from Wrex's arm as he used his omni-tool to send the order and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, "Done."  
Tali nodded her helmeted head to indicate the quarians had held up their end of the deal as well.  
"Great. Now lets go over both copies of the damn agreement and find out who screwed up." Shepard grabbed both pads and threw one to Garrus. His finger slid down the screen, scrolling through the text, noting that the quarians were correct, negotiations weren't finished.  
Shepard spoke up, "According to this, Tavek has permission to mine the asteroid. What does the quarians version say, Garrus?"  
His brow furrowed and his mandibles fluttered, "Ah, according to this," he waved the pad for emphasis, "The Admiralty Board is correct."  
"Okay, we need to verify both versions," said Shepard.  
Tali raised her hand to volunteer, "I can do that."  
"I draw the line there, pyjak. No way am I gonna trust you to do it," growled Tavek, pointing a thick finger across the table. Wrex swatted his nephews finger and mumbled something, making the krogan drop it.  
Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry Tal, but Tavek has a point. Someone who's not involved needs to do it."  
Knowing what she was going to ask next he started going through the crew members, trying to figure out who would be suitable. Neither Ari or Kael were allowed, due to being quarians and that only left Edi. He was a little unnerved by the prospect of having his ex-wife and girlfriend in the same room.  
"What? You have someone who can verify the source just as quick as I can, do you?"  
He recognized the tone of Tali's voice and inwardly cringed. _Maybe I shouldn't have been the one to say that.  
_Shooting a desperate look towards Shepard, he tried to send a silent request for back up, breathing a sigh of relief when she nodded in understanding and intervened, "Tali, we need to use someone who will be acceptable to both parties. My daughter, Lieutenant Alenko, is a tech specialist, she's more than capable of doing this."  
"Yes, she sounds agreeable," said Admiral Koris, patting Tali on the arm.  
"Wait, Shepard. Your daughter's on the ship? Why haven't I met her yet?" asked Tali.  
Scratching the side of her nose, Shepard lifted her shoulders, "Just figured this was more important. I'd planned on introducing you both after we sorted out this mess, I promise." The Spectre typed out a message on her omnitool and turned back to the rest of the diplomats, "This room's getting a bit stuffy and we don't all need to be here to watch Edi work." Just then, Lieutenant Curtis appeared at the door and Shepard continued, "Tavek, why don't you and the Admiral's follow Todd to the mess hall for some refreshments."  
"I could use a break, lead the way pyjak," said Tavek as he and four of the five quarian admirals followed the marine out.

Tali stood next to Wrex, wringing her hands, "Do you mind if I stay? I'd like to meet Lieutenant Alenko."  
"Yeah, and I'd like to see the whelp too, it's been a few years," Wrex added.  
Garrus couldn't help but be amused, even if the impending arrival of Edi might make things uncomfortable. His flanging vocals hummed jovially, "Have you guys noticed we only get together when things turn to crap? We can't just be normal and meet for dinner every few years, can we?"  
The other three thought about what he'd said and started laughing.  
Shepard's mouth spread into a smile, "Nope, I guess that's not our way, but at least we don't have to save the galaxy this time,"

* * *

Intrigued by her mother's message, Edi quickly approached the conference room and saw two other aliens laughing with Shepard and Garrus. When she noticed one of them was an old family friend, a toothy grin appeared on her face, "Uncle Wrex!"  
Turning at the sound of her familiar voice, the krogan embraced her, tightly, "Pup! How ya been?"  
"Not bad. You?" Unable to breathe properly from being bearhugged by a krogan, Edi's voice was strained and Wrex released his hold.  
"Ah, can't complain."  
She inhaled deeply, absently rubbing her bruised shoulder, "Good to hear."

Edi noticed the strange look that Wrex was giving her and watched as he looked from her to Garrus, who was standing at the opposite end of the table. He took a few short sniffs, like a dog trying to find where the juicy bone was hidden, but didn't say another word as he narrowed his eyes. Her dark brows knitted together as she wondered what that was about and spared a quick glance in the Councillor's direction. His alien features mimicked her expression and he gave her a small shrug.

A harsh cough made the young Lieutenant flinch and she turned to face her mother, "Before we get started, there's someone I want you to meet." Shepard walked towards the female quarian dressed in a beautiful, black suit with deep purple fabric flowing from her helmet. "Edi, this is Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch, an old friend of mine who served on the Normandy with me and your father during the Reaper Wars."  
Out of the corner of her eye, Edi could see Garrus start to fidget and she smiled, focusing again on Tali, "Growing up, I heard many stories about the Normandy's adventures and you were one of the main characters. It's nice to finally meet you."  
Grasping Edi's hand, the mouthpiece on Tali's helmet started to blink as she laughed, "Thank you." The pair stood for a moment, not moving and Edi scratched behind her ear with her free hand. Tali chuckled nervously and released her hold, "I'm sorry, it's just that I was captivated by how much you remind me of Kaidan. I mean, you're very similar to Shepard, but you have your father in you as well." Turning, Tali launched toward Shepard and gave her a hug, "I know it was years ago, but I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral, Jane. I should have been there."  
"Don't worry Tali, I understand you were busy, and I'm sure Kaidan wouldn't have held it against you," said Shepard, patting her friend on the shoulder.

Silence blanketed the room and Edi's mind swam with her most vivid memory of her father. It was one of those rare days when he was on shore leave. He'd spent hours patiently helping her design her first overload program, taking the time to correct her errors and commend her accomplishments. A wistful smile tugged at Edi's mouth as she remembered his warm, whiskey eyes crinkled at the corners, watching in delight as a young version of herself excitedly jumped up and down in triumph, pigtails bouncing around erratically.

The feeling of a gentle hand on her shoulder made Edi jerk back to the present and she rubbed the side of her nose, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught reminiscing, "Um, Captain, you wanted me for something?"  
The look of understanding in Shepard's eyes quickly sank back into the depths and her touch disappeared from Edi's arm, "Yes. We need you to verify these two copies of the mining agreement."  
Her mother handed over two pads and Edi walked to the terminal at the head of the large, wooden table. Swift hands flew across the holographic keyboard as the tip of her tongue protruded from between her lips. A crease formed between her shaped, dark brows, "Um, the quarian copy is legit, but the other one...hmm, hold on, I need to track the source of the transmission."

Everyone in the conference room had eyes on Edi. Her mother was starting to pace, trying to wear a hole in the carpet and the other three stood together, staring intently. The young Lieutenant felt like one of Doctor Gillettes experiments, being eyed like she was a bacterium being studied under a microscope.  
Finally a beep sounded from the console as the result flashed across the screen, "Um, Admiral, you might not like this."  
Edi's utterance made Tali's head quirk to the side, "What do you mean?"  
With sure steps, Garrus appeared next to Edi, leaning over her shoulder to get a look at what was in front of her, "Interesting. The krogan's version of the agreement originated from Rannoch, specifically from the federal buildings located in the capital," he said, pointing at the screen.  
Pleasure thrilled through Edi as his voice worked it's magic on her nervous system and she discreetly leaned into him. Without looking away from the terminal, he nudged her back and she could feel his subharmonics vibrate with contentment.

"You must have traced it wrong, let me see," Tali uttered as she approached the pair.  
A little insulted, Edi stepped to the side and crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm not wrong. The quarians sent the altered documents." Her tone and posture caused Garrus to send her a sympathetic look.  
"So why the hell would the quarians want to create problems with the krogan?" Wrex scratched at his chin, pondering his own question.  
"I don't know, but we need to figure it out and soon," Shepard said, walking over to Tali. "We need to make our way to Rannoch and investigate further."  
Nodding in agreement, the quarian sighed, "We definitely need to get to the bottom of this. I'll let command know what we're doing." Shuffling over to the corner of the room, Tali activated her omnitool.

Quietly waiting for the quarian to finish her task, Edi felt the warmth of Garrus' hand as it brushed across her arm. She sent a sidelong glance in his direction and he inclined his head, his warm breath tickling her ear as he spoke, "Dinner later?"  
As she opened her mouth to respond, Tali's frustrated curse interrupted, "You bosh'tet, piece of-"  
Surprised by her friends outburst, Shepard headed toward her, "Tali, what's wrong?"  
"I can't get through to Rannoch, communications are down!"  
Garrus and Edi shared a knowing look with Shepard and all three of them spoke at the same time, "Fuck!"


	8. Story is on hold

Story Update

Hi all,

This story is currently on hold. Life has been preventing me from writing at the moment, but I promise I will be getting back to it eventually. This story will be finished at some point, so don't hate me :)

Thank you for the follows, favorites and reviews, they are very much appreciated.

-KiwiSamus


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